


Seeking Vengeance

by Luminovia



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Dark Dipper Pines, Depression, Eating Disorders, I should add there won't really be anything relationship-wise other than fluff, I'm gonna add it cause there's a lot of dying., M/M, Maybe major character death? I'm still figuring that part out, Oh and Also, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-03-29 12:07:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 30,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3895714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luminovia/pseuds/Luminovia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after the Pines twins suffered from some major trauma, Dipper strikes up a deal with a certain demon. He seeks out vengeance from a particular killer, not realizing that he was leaning towards those tendencies as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gravestones and Deals

**Author's Note:**

> My second fic! I've got a really good feeling about this one. I'll make the chapters longer and actually try to tune myself in with the characters this time.

One year had gone by so fast. Dipper's thoughts had been caught in a tangle ever since the day they left him. As he stood next to his sister and great uncle, all he could think about was how much of a mess it had been since then.

  
The earth was coated in a powdery white snow, while the flakes themselves still fell heavily from the sky. Dressed in black, the three stood solemnly looking down at the graves, wondering how life could ever have led them to this. There was a purely innocent silence as none of them dared to speak. They each thought up their own conversation, being mindful of each other's wishes and intentions as they mentally spoke to their beloved family members.

  
But not Dipper. He couldn't think of anything to say. He stood there, his mind absolutely... blank.

  
It was always the same. He visited often but he never was able to talk. It was as if a static had taken over his mind, his soul, even his body. He was numb to it all; but at the same time, he was pained greatly, more than anyone could ever know.

  
Mabel and Stan, turning their heads to face each other, simply nodded and walked away from the scene. It was best to let the boy have time to think.

  
Dipper collapsed to his knees, grasping at the freezing snow with his bare hands. It was disgustingly cold and burned his palms, but he couldn't care any less. His face twisted with a thousand negative emotions, not the least of which was anguish. Tears flowed down his face like a brook, freezing up before they even hit the ground.

  
He could only manage to quietly whisper, "Mom... Dad..."

 

* * *

 

The ride home was as silent as their visit was. The twins stared out the windows on their respective sides, emotionally drained and devoid of thought. Once in a while, Stan would adjust his rear-view mirror to glance at them both, but each time, he would be greeted with them facing the windows. He couldn't bear to look at their distant, saddened stares, puffy red eyes, and tear-stained faces; but he knew their trauma.

  
After an hour long drive, they had reached the Mystery Shack. They all headed inside, both twins heading upstairs to change.

  
However, as soon as Dipper had taken off the suit, he threw on some jeans and his blue flannel jacket, walking down the stairs and heading for the door. He passed Stan on his way out, who, disheartened, just watched him leave through the front door. Mabel watched from the foot of the stairs, sitting down miserably on the second step.

  
"I'm sure he just needs some fresh air," Stan told her, "He'll be back once his mind is cleared up."

  
She nodded, still looking at the door, waiting for it to open.

 

* * *

 

Dipper strolled through the woods, as he often used to do whenever he had some ideas; nowadays, he really only did it for the serene aura it gave off.

  
Today was different, though.

  
He held the journal in his hand, flipping the pages until he reached the one he was looking for. Once he made sure he was far enough away and had not been followed by Mabel, he turned to the book, desperately reciting the words written on the page.

  
Everything had started to buzz out, the color fading into a dull greyscale. In front of him, a flash of blue light appeared as the demon, Bill Cipher, quickly came into view.

  
"Pine Tree, Pine Tree! Long time no see!"

  
Dipper simply stared at him, saying nothing. This allowed Bill to study his features more closely. His sunken-in cheeks, a clear sign of unhealthy eating, or even of no eating. His lifeless eyes, accented by the dark circles of insomnia that plagued him every night.

  
"Yeesh, not looking great, kid."

  
Dipper simply closed the book, letting it fall to the earth as he began to talk, "I want to bring my parents back."

  
Bill squinted at him, crossing his arms in confusion.

  
"Parents? Your... Ah right, yes. Murdered, exactly a year ago! I nearly forgot all about them. Guess I haven't been keeping a close enough eye on you Pines."

  
Dipper grunted resentfully as Bill held up his hands in defense.

  
"Alright, alright, I get it. It's gonna be quite an expensive price for something like that."

  
"How much?"

  
"Yours and your sister's souls."

  
Dipper was visibly angry by then. "Fuck... Alright, fine, then how about just helping me bring the piece of shit who killed them to justice?"

  
Bill muttered to himself, "Yikes. I guess with age comes vulgarity." Speaking up so that he was audible again, he told Dipper, "Yeah, that'd be a bit less expensive. I'd just want to share a body with you for 8 hours a day. How's that sound?"

  
For a few moments, Dipper stood there, thinking hard before making the decision. If he wanted to do this, he wasn't sure he could find any other way. He considered negotiating with Bill, but he didn't want to push his luck.

  
"You're sure that there's not another... deal we could make? There's nothing else I could offer?"

  
Bill promptly replied, "Yep, I'm sure." He had a plan laid out for Dipper, just in case the kid ever needed to make another deal with him. Bill had noticed something interesting about Dipper those few years ago when they last made a deal. Something about his mind that not even Dipper knew of. All he had to do was lay low and wait for the moment to present itself, and it had done so very blatantly today.

  
Dipper looked down for a minute or two, still hesitating if he should trust Bill after all the trouble he'd caused them in the past. He let out a heavy sigh and held up his hand to shake Bill's. Even if it hurt him, what did he care anymore?

  
"Deal."


	2. Traumatizing Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never really realized how hard it is to write when you're tired. Reading, sure, I get that; but writing is just as difficult. D:

The next day began. Dipper awoke, gazing out his window at the grey cloudy sky. Mabel had already been awake and was downstairs helping Grunkle Stan make breakfast.

  
He held his head in his hands, combing through a couple of times. Thinking back to the deal he made yesterday caused him a sudden sickening amount of stress. Just as he started recalling the events in order, Mabel burst through the door, holding two plates.

  
"Morning, Dip!"

  
Turning to face his sister, he smiled softly. "Hey, Mabel."

  
Hopping over to where he was seated in bed, she offered him his plate. Shaking his head, he simply said, "Nah, I'll scrounge up something for myself later."

  
Mabel's face instantly changed, looking at him with a heartbroken stare. Of course. He always said that, but she never saw him actually eat anything much. Maybe she would occasionally see him eat a granola bar, but other than that...

  
She looked at his hollowed cheeks, a wave of concern shocking her entire body. She left the plate on his bed and hurried out of the room, trying her hardest to hold back her tears.

  
Dipper watched as she left, throwing his hood over him and pulling his legs to his chest. It's not like he was trying to not eat, it was just that- well, his mental status got the better of him. He truly wished she could have understood that.

  
Suddenly a bright blue light encased the room in a cool glow, and Bill appeared in front of Dipper.

  
"Uh-oh, that didn't look too good on your part there, kid."

  
Dipper buried his face into the crevice between his knees. He replied dejectedly, "Like I wasn't aware of that..."

  
"Oh, lighten up, Pine Tree. Today is the day you get to start your quest for revenge!"

  
"Don't say it like it's some cliche movie plot. I'm simply ridding the world of a worthless bastard."

  
"That's the spirit! Let's get started, huh?"

  
Dipper reached over and grabbed his laptop, opening it up and pulling up a search engine. He typed in his hometown and the name "Pines", not surprised to see it wasn't the first result; it *did* happen a little over a year ago. After a page or two, he saw an article, the headline reading "Another Couple Found Dead in Home."

  
He looked away for a second, as if still in denial. Turning back, he clicked the link, reading over every line of every paragraph carefully, doing so one or twice. There was barely any information that he didn't already know. Any leads they did have, they probably wouldn't have leaked to the public anyway.

  
There were a few words at the bottom that caught his eye; it read, "Related Cases."

  
Immediately, Dipper went straight to the page, finding it filled with a whole two pages of murder incidents supposedly done by the same person. Smiling slightly, he whispered to himself, "Jackpot."

* * *

 

  
For an hour and a half Dipper looked through each case, asking Bill things and being asked things every now and then. Still, none of the articles proved to be of any use. Frustrated, Dipper slammed his laptop shut. Rubbing his temples, he turned to Bill.

  
"You wouldn't happen to be able to- I dunno... Teleport or something?"

  
"In this form? Sure."

  
"Yeah, but can you do it to me too?"

  
Bill shrugged, "Probably. It might hurt a little for you, but it'd be a cinch for me!"

  
Dipper took a deep breath, hoping that Bill wasn't just under exaggerating. "Alright. Let's hurry up and get it over with."

  
Throwing on some pants, his boots, and a light jacket or two, he nodded at Bill, signaling that he was ready. He closed his eyes and immediately felt as if he had been submerged underwater. Opening them, he found himself in an entirely different place altogether; but before he had a chance to observe his surroundings, he collapsed onto his knees and grabbed at his chest. He felt like he had the wind knocked out of him, and in a moment he noticed a hot liquid substance running up his throat to his mouth. Covering his mouth and coughing, his hand was overrun with the liquid; much to his surprise, it was blood.

  
"Bill," he said in a concerned tone, "What the fuck was that? I thought it was only going to hurt a little."

  
"Pain makes no difference to me. I can't precisely measure how bad it's gonna hurt you, Pine Tree. You'll probably get used to it."

  
Wiping the blood from his hand off on the snow, he stood up to observe the small town. It was his old town, alright. He knew exactly where he was.

  
Tossing his hood up, he walked down the quiet road. It was pretty cold outside, so it was understandable that the street seemed more or less like a ghost town.

  
As they proceeded, Dipper's mind wandered off, wondering what Bill would do once he was sharing his body.

  
"Hey Bill, I've been wondering, what are you going to do with me once you're inside me?"

 

Bill turned towards him, his eye mocking a shocked expression. "Whoa there, at least buy me dinner first!"

  
Dipper replayed the sentence in his head, turning away annoyed and blushing slightly. He gave an agitated huff.

  
"You know what I meant, dipshit."

  
"Aw, Pine Tree, I swear, you're no fun..."

  
Dipper looked at him with an exasperated expression.

  
"Well, you don't have to glare at me. Anyways, I have a few things in mind. You know, last time I was you, you were pretty flimsy. I'm wondering how durable you are now! And other humans. I wonder about them, too. Also, I've been gathering a bunch of food from around the world. I think it'd be a pretty neat idea to see how they taste."

  
"You mean you don't know how food tastes...?"

  
Bill shrugged. "Not even slightly! Souls are one thing, human food is another. I don't have to eat human food to live, so I don't know what it tastes like."

  
"Alright. Fair enough. Also, how long am I keeping my end of the deal?"

  
"Until my end of the deal expires. In other words, when we solve this hunk of junk." Holding his hand up in front of them, Bill pointed towards a mediocre looking, two-story brown house. Glancing over, Dipper stopped in his tracks. He looked at the house and suddenly every horrible memory flooded back into his mind.

  
He remembered it all. The overwhelming, traumatizing memories.


	3. The Mystery Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry if there's any typos or missing words, I'm quite tired!) Also yes! Dipper's personal investigation has officially begun. It'll likely be a while before he winds up with full-proof clues to who the murderer is. Or at least, I plan for it to be that way ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Dipper lead the way into the old, abandoned home. He stood in the small anteroom, taking off his boots, putting them into the spot he always used to put them in. His tired eyes rolled around, looking at the cracked walls and the empty rooms. He sighed before glancing down woefully. 

"We're home," he whispered. Bill looked at him almost pitifully.

He strolled throughout the bottom part of the house, remembering fondly their daily routines; breakfast, as always, and after school, Dipper and Mabel would sit back and relax as they played Mario Kart. Though it really couldn't be called relaxing, seeing as Mabel somehow always got in first, even in 150cc.

Smiling at the thought of playing again, Dipper stared longingly at the places where the furniture should have been. Once he had finished reminiscing, he made his way up the stairs- those dreadful stairs that, over a year ago, he would have never guessed would lead him to such a petrifying, horrible scene. 

He wrinkled his nose up. The place still smelled of must and blood. Looking down the hall, he pulled a memory from the back of his mind; he remembered seeing that blood trail from the guest room to the master bedroom, where the bloody corpses of his parents once lay.

He remembered seeing Mabel's face that day. He would never forget it for as long as he lived, and he would do everything in his power to keep her from making such a despairing, disturbed expression as the one he remembered.

"The blood," he said to Bill. He pointed from one part of the floor, carefully following it with his finger, up until he reached the master bedroom. Then, he pointed to the bed; or, at least where it should've been. Walking over, he sat in the space that the bed no longer occupied.

He looked up to Bill, looking emotionless, yet still on the verge of tears.

"Their graves," he said in a low murmur.

Bill said nothing as the boy looked around the room. Dipper smiled, remembering everything about the room; how it was once decorated, how the grandfather clock in the corner used to tick, how the dresser remained always clean while Dipper's and Mabel's was barely visible under all the clothes and other miscellaneous items.

He stood up with a hostile intent in his eyes. He was fully ready to torture, murder, or do anything malicious at all to the one fucker that took away his happiness.

Bill looked on, almost amused. With a look like that, he was sure Dipper would do anything if it meant killing that murderer. Perhaps he would even cut down those who stood in his way. What an interesting thing that would be to watch, Bill thought!

Bill was suddenly snapped out of his bloody little fantasy as Dipper spoke up."They needed an escape route, and an entrance route. Let's see..."

He examined the windows. The only one open had been the guest's room, so that much had to be obvious; especially considering the blood trail on the floor. He did recall that they had a family friend coming to visit that week. Most likely his mom went in there to dust and clean before they visited. 

That day, too, his dad had been returning home from a business trip, which meant he would be home earlier than the twins that day. The only time he ever mentioned to his wife when he was leaving and when he was coming back was almost a week prior, which had been two weeks before their deaths. This would allude to the fact that the killer had been keeping an eye on their family for at least two weeks!

This way, when his dad returned home, the murderer knew what day would be best to commit their foul offense.

The puzzle pieces fit perfectly. At the time, the police didn't ask Dipper or Mabel anything. They were both far too shaken up to speak for weeks. Besides, the police had many other of the same serial killer cases to investigate; this wasn't special as far as they knew.

Dipper looked at his watch, not realizing how late the day had become.

"That's... that's enough investigation for today, I think, Bill."

"Certainly! And now it's my turn."

Once again, Dipper felt that drowning sensation before waking back up in Gravity Falls.

Still, he was not used to the teleportation trick, and he spurted blood all over the whitened sheet of ice he was on.

"My turn!" Bill yelled.

A sudden jolt ran through Dipper's body as he felt his mind cramp up, if he could describe the feeling. He could see what Bill was doing with his body, but he was quite helpless to stop. And with that, Bill smiled creepily, taking a step forward.

"Ah, Gravity Falls! No doubt they missed good old Bill Cipher!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Rafiki voice* The king has returned!


	4. Sweet Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small emetophobia warning! Also, gore.

"Ah, Pine Tree! You have no idea how much I missed this."

  
Dipper shook his head- mentally, of course. He wasn't able to do so in reality. Before he was able to respond, Bill took a couple wobbled steps forward, accidentally slamming his face into a tree branch.

  
"Wow, it's been a while!"

  
"I really don't care what you do with my body, but... Try not to act suspicious, maybe?" Dipper said the last part with a bit of anger. Bill just shrugged it off.

  
He walked Dipper's body through the woods, trying to be more careful about knocking into trees and such. Suddenly, Bill lifted the hand and a Dragon Fruit suddenly materialized out of no where.

  
"Right. I'm gonna have to sit through this hell..." Dipper thought to himself once he saw the fruit. He partially cringed as he watched Bill rip open the fruit and take a few bites of it.

  
Bill squinted and said, "Hmm... That's a little too bland." He threw the rest of the fruit on the ground apathetically, wondering what in the world he could do next.

  
Before they knew it, they were out of the woods and approaching the Mystery Shack.

  
Dipper watched helplessly from inside, saying, "Please don't fuck things up much. And don't you dare do anything to Mabel or Stan."

  
"You don't have to worry about them! To be honest, they really aren't all that interesting to me. You, on the other hand..."

  
Opening the front door, they walked inside, Bill's attention drawn suddenly to Mabel's face, which had popped out from around the corner at the sound of the door. She smiled warmly before asking where he'd been.

  
"Oh, you know. Taking a nice chilly winter walk out in the woods."

  
Mabel looked at him, surprised at the unusually chipper tone in his voice. Bill hurried up the stairs before she had a chance to intercept him.

  
He shut the door to his room behind him, looking around and grinning eerily as he did. With a quick "What can I play with next?", he walked towards the desk in the corner of the room. His eyes twinkled upon seeing a sharp pair of scissors. Grabbing it, he rushed to the window, tossing the scissors outside before leaping out himself.

  
Though Bill was in charge of his body, Dipper could still feel and taste. Upon landing, he felt a sharp pain in his left wrist. Alarmed, he shouted, "Did you just break my fucking arm??"

  
Bill stood up. "Fractured it? Maybe! Broke it? No, not when I still have things to do with this body. I still find pain as funny as the day I felt it!"

  
Dipper was infuriated with Bill, but at the moment, there was nothing he could do. Sighing to calm himself down, he asked, "Alright, I'll bite. What's your plan with those scissors?"

  
"Nothing much. Just gonna go enjoy a night on the town, maybe rough up a couple of people that bother me!"

  
Bill picked them up and took off running.

* * *

  
Before they knew it, Bill had taken them to a run-down looking cabin at the edge of the woods. Circling around the house a few times to search for a way up, he climbed up the drainpipe and hurried across the roof, taking care not to step on the worn-out, rotten spots. He hurried over to an open window, stabbing the scissors in the side of the house and using them as momentary help, swinging around into the window that lead to an empty room.

  
"I cannot believe that worked at all," Dipper told him.

  
"Had you been a good 20-30 pounds more, probably wouldn't have!" Bill replied as he leaned out the window and pulled the scissors from their place in the wall.

  
"And now, Pine Tree, comes the real fun."

  
Dipper could sense Bill's tone darkening. At once, he knew what Bill meant by 'fun'.

  
"You're not gonna kill him, right? You did say you'd just rough them up."

  
Bill's sinister eyes dimly glowed in the darkness of the room for a second. "You don't understand my meaning of 'fun'. If he dies while I disembowel him, tough luck! And lucky for you, you've got a front row seat!"

  
Bill could sense Dipper's horrified expression and chuckled quietly to himself. He made rapid yet soundless progress towards the door in the room, peeking around the corner and sneaking around to a dirty, ripped-up couch in the living room. On it laid a slumbering man; he was tall and lanky, and his hair was shining blonde in the moonlight. His sloppily shaven face and his deep-set eyes told them that he had probably passed out after a night of alcohol. Bill mentioned that they were lucky he lived alone.

  
"Goodnight, sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Bill whispered the rhyme as he broke the scissors apart, shoving one blade into each ear and forcefully covering the mouth of the man, now awake with his screams muffled.

  
Within a few moments, his eyelids fluttered to a half-open, dead expression. He had probably passed out, which was good for him, considering his fate in a few seconds.

  
Hopping up on the man's body, he pulled the blades from his ears, a fountain of blood spattering out after he'd done so.

  
Bill shook his head, "Amazed he's still alive at this point," but changed his mood, smirking maniacally, "But now, it's time for him to go!"

  
He carved a square in the entirety of the man's torso, peeling away the large skin layer of the dead man. He whispered, "Now, which organ to I play with first? The lungs, the heart, or the intestines?"

  
Shrugging, he closed his eyes and reached in, choosing the first thing he grabbed; the heart. He cut it out masterfully, like a surgeon. It was as if he'd already done this many times; which, apparently, he had.

  
Dipper watched in stunned silence. He was livid and felt like saying something, but his shock was too great. He would have liked to look away if he could, but anything that Bill was seeing through Dipper's eyes, he was forced to see too.

  
Bill took his sweet time, too; within an hour or so, he had enough of his "fun" and grabbed the hilts of the scissors and ripped them away from the murdered man's arms, which was where he placed them after cutting him open. Dipper was appalled and disturbed, but was unable to find any words still.

  
"Get used to it, kid. You're going to be seeing it a lot from now on," Bill told him, "And now, to clean it all up."

  
He snapped his fingers and the blood seemed to dissipate from his clothes, and every trace of Dipper being there was gone.

* * *

  
By the time they returned, it was already a little before midnight. Bill sat outside, enjoying his last few moments in Dipper's body with a bowl of Miso soup.

  
When it was midnight, Dipper felt a light buzz followed by a rather painful tear, so to speak. Or at least, he could say it was as if someone had ripped a bandage off of him, only it was more intense. He returned to his body, instinctively grabbing his throbbing left wrist and whispering a soft, "Fuck."

  
Bill looked at Dipper jubilantly, telling him, "That was a lot of fun! Sweet dreams, Pine Tree." In a moment, it seemed to Dipper that he'd disappeared.

  
He couldn't really tell if that last part was just Bill being sarcastic or not. He rushed upstairs to his and Mabel's room, bursting into the bathroom and throwing of his jackets before immediately purging. No, there was no way he could keep that all down, especially after the things he'd seen that night.

  
He reached for the tub's side for support, breathing quickly and deeply as his heavy thoughts tore away at his mind. As a result of his hyperventilation and overdose of emotion, his vision became blurry and he fell over, passing out on the bathroom floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, was that a misleading chapter title! Also, don't run with scissors.


	5. Frater et Soror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you start, I should probably explain Dipper and Mabel's school status. They both finished high school together the previous year and decided to take a year off before heading to college. Dipper isn't sure where he wants to go yet, or even if he wants to. Mabel is taking a year off because she wants to practice a bit more with various art mediums. They both agreed it was the right thing to do after their parents' death, so that they could take time to grieve without having to worry about being stressed.

His eyes fluttered open to a brightly lit room. Of course, it was morning; though he didn't really understand why he woke up in his own bed instead of on the bathroom floor. The world was still blurry to him and the double-vision he had been experiencing quickly faded as his view became sharper. Looking over to his bedside, he saw a worried-looking Mabel. She was holding a sketchbook and appeared to be drawing in it.

  
As Dipper sat up, he put a hand to his head and felt a bandage as a twinge of pain surged throughout his brain. He also noticed a splint wrapped around his wrist, the one he- or rather, Bill- fractured. 

  
Once Mabel realized he was awake, she looked as if she was on the verge of tears. She threw her arms around him, happy to see that he had woken up, finally.

  
"Dipper! I'm so happy you're alive- er, well, awake!" 

  
She let go of him and looked him in the eye, "You were... You rushed upstairs and threw up last night, and that woke me up. I went to check it out, but you were passed out and there was a small pool of blood on the floor. I assume you hit your head, and your left wrist seemed really swollen; but, I- Dipper, I was insanely worried about you, I thought you were..."

  
Dipper looked over towards the wall, heart-broken and regretful that he had made his sister feel so distraught. He glanced over at her with an apologetic smile, and turned to embrace her.

  
"Mabel, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. I'm sorry for stressing you out. It was just an accident you didn't have to see; honestly, I'm fine."

  
She looked at him with mournful eyes, saying, "Oh, Dipper... I seriously wonder about that sometimes." She got up to leave the room, presumably to tell Stan how Dipper was doing.

  
He watched her leave, reaching his hand out as if to stop her; but not being able to find the right words to say. He turned his attention towards the chair, where laid an open sketchbook. Picking it up, he looked at the page. Mabel had been drawing for the better portion of 5 years now, and she truly was talented. Usually she left her sketchbook filled with character reference sheets, seeing as she loved creating characters and even intended to go to a school for art.

  
However, this page was different. It pictured the two Mystery Twins, side-by-side, giving each other a high-five and looking cheerful. It showed a genuine smile Dipper hadn't worn in over a year. It also showed Dipper as a completely different looking person; his cheeks were fully fleshed-out and he looked... Confident.

  
Biting his lower lip, Dipper tried to hold back his tears, but was unable to as the salty drops of water dripped down from his chin to the page.

  
"I'm sorry, Mabel. I'm so, so sorry."

* * *

  
An hour or two passed and Dipper stood out in the cold, waiting for Bill to arrive.

  
After a few minutes of waiting, the demon appeared and glanced at Dipper, who had been looking slightly more focused today. No words were exchanged between the two, for they were not needed. Instead, Dipper simply nodded and before he knew it, he was back in his hometown. The sudden chest pain still managed to catch him by surprise, but he didn't fall to his knees this time. He spit out small bursts of blood before the two continued on their way.

  
As they walked, Dipper began thinking to himself. He turned to face Bill, asking, "How come you can't give me any hints or anything?"

  
"Kid, that would really ruin the fun. I help out to get you here and back, and I certainly won't turn down helping you kill the murderer. Truth is, I don't know enough about it all; I've been pretty busy doing my own thing in the last year or two. Plus, I like watching you play this game on your own."

  
He looked down towards the snow-covered road. "It's not a fucking game."

  
"It is for now. You'll see what the future has in store for you when you get there."

  
Dipper remained annoyed but said nothing, returning to the brown house and looking it over once again. He had figured out what had happened, but he still knew nothing about who the killer could be. He searched over the house once again, but still found fuck all in terms of clues; save for the facts he already knew.

  
The day drew on, and it seemed very unproductive on Dipper's part, which caused him to stress greatly.

  
"Are you sure you can't even give me a hint?" He begged Bill.

  
"I could, but wouldn't that just spoil the fun?"

  
"There's nothing 'fun' about this. My parents were killed and I intend to actually find the murderer."

  
"I guess one clue wouldn't hurt... Alright. I do know one thing about this particular person; whenever they kill, they always leave their initials somewhere; usually where no one can find it. Think of it as a calling card and their way of being cocky."

  
Dipper eyed him skeptically, as if to tell him that he was still being a dick for withdrawing important information like that. Still, he looked around in his parents room. If they had written it somewhere no one could find it, even the police, it's liable he could spend weeks searching here.

  
Nevertheless, it was time for Dipper to leave. He hadn't been able to have that much time to investigate that day; he spent a lot of it conked out on his bed.

  
And so they arrived back at Gravity Falls, and Bill was able to return once again as Dipper.

  
Again that night, they experienced the same scene that had unfolded the night before. Though this time, Bill didn't eat; he simply had fun torturing and killing. Dipper again watched, but because of his lust to kill the murderer, he seemed significantly less horrified.

  
Once the fun was over, they simply returned to the Mystery Shack before Bill left. This time, Dipper sneaked in quietly, making sure not to wake up Mabel, who had fallen asleep hours before he and Bill had started the fun.

  
He looked over to her bed with a forlorn expression before thinking to himself, "Good night, Mabel," and drifting off to sleep.

  
Somehow, it was one of the first nights in months where he actually slept soundly.


	6. Walk in the Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little later than I'd hoped it would've been. That was a combination of lack of self-confidence and lack of feedback, I think. Still had the juice to finish this chapter today, though! Got some good advice and now I'm back on track, sorta :D

The next few weeks were busy for Bill and Dipper. They spent their days searching the old house for the initials, trying to dig up clues as to where they should possibly look. They even started bringing a marker with them to mark every place they'd search, still to no avail.

  
At nights, Bill would explore all over Oregon, bringing Dipper to distant places and killing off the people he had a distaste for. When Dipper presented the question as to why Bill was killing them, he replied, "You know those types of people who are obviously just scumbags with pointless, uninteresting lives?"

  
Dipper nodded, saying, "You mean people who are generally assholes to everyone for no reason?"

  
"Yep. I've met quite a few of them along the way and they've always pissed me off- even just thinking about them. Probably more for them being useless than anything else."

  
"Is... Is that really the only reason you're killing them?"

  
"Yep!" Bill chimed. That was really only half true, though. It was correct that he'd met many people who annoyed him and targeted them, but he was also doing it to watch Dipper slowly become null to the feeling of witnessing people die. You could say it was almost like an experiment, a test to see what Dipper could really do, and what he was going to do once they found the killer.

  
Dipper seemed to look forward to watching Bill do this as the weeks went by. By that time, too, their murder streaks had become semi-renowned through the southern parts of Oregon and a few surrounding states.

  
Sometimes Dipper would feel good enough that he didn't make himself purge every night. Occasionally, during some kills, Bill would get carelessly hurt. By now, it really didn't matter to Dipper, though it did increase the thrill of the moment. He noticed Mabel became somewhat happier too as she noticed the flesh returning to his cheeks, though she didn't realize what he'd been out doing at nights. She and Stan both thought it was more of his way of grieving. With his good attitude very slowly and gradually returning, they assumed it was working, even if the boy had been prone to spend much time in the woods regardless of the circumstances and even before his parent's deaths.

  
Then one night, Bill decided to just take a walk around in the woods of Gravity Falls.

  
Dipper asked anxiously, "Bill, where are you taking us?"

  
Bill hummed as he strolled Dipper's body through the dark forest. He knew the placement of every pebble and leaf and took care not to trip over them as he made his way down the paths.

  
"Relax, kid. Much as I hate to say it, we're taking a little break tonight. Just wanted to show you somewhere neat-looking."

  
Hearing Bill say this surprised Dipper. "Since when were you into aesthetics?"

  
"Never, really. I know you used to like taking photographs, though!"

  
Dipper didn't really argue; though it was more about paranormal things than just nature in general, he did happen to like being out in nature just to see how beautiful it was every once in a while. At this point, he only wondered why Bill was doing this for him. When he asked, Bill didn't respond.

  
They reached a darkened path deep in the woods. As the walked down the steep hill, Dipper could hear the sound of flowing, peaceful water. He looked around, spotting a tree stump with a large crevice filled with a soft light; immediately, Bill turned toward it and walked in.

  
It was a very, very large stump, all hollowed out on the inside. Bill mentioned something about a few ravenously hungry termites eating the inner wood, and leaving nothing but a thick bark around it. They didn't eat the bark for the same reason most humans don't like to eat the crust on their sandwich.

  
What they saw inside was wonderful; a grassy area with poppies growing around the inner circumference of the tree, and above they could see only the moon and stars. A full moon was shining down from the dark, deep sky, bathing the place around them in a pale light. In front of them, they could see a narrow river leading down into a nice pond, covered with cattails.

  
As Dipper took in the amazing scene with a look of awe, he felt his body sit down before it was suddenly returned to him. Confused, he turned to look at Bill, who simply floated there for a second or two before going over to sit on his shoulder.

  
They said nothing for a full minute or two before Dipper pulled out his notebook and started doing something he hadn't done in ages; write. He wrote about the area around him, described it's beauty, all while smiling. A small smile, but a genuine one nonetheless.

  
"This place is... quite inspiring," Dipper said to Bill.

  
"I told you you'd like it," Bill teased, leaning back against Dipper's head.

  
Dipper gave an embarrassed smirk before continuing to write. They stayed there for about an hour or so, writing and simply relaxing.

  
They both enjoyed the small experience. For Dipper, it cheered his mood significantly, and he would become more delightful to be around, especially with his family. For Bill, he was happier to be around Dipper and to see him smiling for once. 

  
They returned to the Mystery Shack just before 10 P.M. and Dipper rushed up to his room. Making sure the coast was clear, he mentally signaled for Bill to appear.

  
"Bill, I just wanted to say thanks... For tonight. That sort of thing means something to me."

  
"Don't mention it, kid. Just think of it as a little token of gratitude."

  
Dipper looked baffled. "Gratitude? For what?"

  
Bill simply ignored the question. He began disappearing again before Dipper had the chance to interject. Bill left him with a few words that Dipper realized were genuine this time.

  
"Sweet dreams, Dipper."


	7. More Like a Killer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing > Sleeping. In most cases. Not in cases of homework, though. Anyway! Here's another chapter. I tried to make this a little longer, but it looks sorta the same; the notepad program I use to write this on made it look longer or something, I guess. Oh well! I update a lot anyway.

As spring came and winter left, Dipper spent much of his days with Bill. Not only did they try to find clues as to where the initials were carved into the house, but they also talked about... normal things. Casual, human topics. The weather, how his family was holding up, and how Dipper was feeling lately. At first, it seemed weird to Dipper, but he appreciated the healthy conversations.

  
He also would go home early sometimes and hang out with Mabel, which made her extremely happy. She would share all her cool story ideas and character creations, and he would just sit, occasionally pointing out small story flaws, continuity errors and the like. Dipper was no artist like Mabel, but he had an appreciation for books and, when he was younger, was constantly writing every detail of the plot, searching for errors. If it was a mystery book, he would pay even closer attention; usually he figured out the plot in the first chapter or two of the book.

  
He enjoyed spending time with her; he liked reading his favorite books to her, and she loved reading him her stories.

  
One day, however, Dipper had made the decision to tell Mabel about the deal he made with Bill.

  
He regretted it immediately, as his twin became furious at the mention of Bill's name.

  
"You... What?!" She exploded, "Do you even remotely remember how much grief that demon caused us in the past??"

  
"Listen, Mabel, it's been a long time. I know you're mad, but things have changed-"

  
She huffed aggresively at him, cutting him off mid-sentence before she sat down on the bed, her eyes blurry with tears.

  
"How could you think that Bill could help at all? He's never once helped us out! He nearly took the Shack away from us that one time, and- and then he stole your body..."

  
Dipper, ashamed, looked to the floor. For a few minutes neither of them spoke as Mabel just sat on her bed, staring him down with a betrayed look in her eyes.

  
"Mabel, I know you think Bill's bad. I know he caused us a lot of pain in the past, but he's willing to help us out now. As I said, it's been a while. If a deal is made, he's willing to help."

  
"And... And what did you promise him?"

  
Dipper looked up at Mabel with a sincere expression of trust, saying, "If I tell you, you have to promise me you'll trust Bill. I've made it this far without-" He paused and thought about all the people Bill murdered, and made him watch; but at this point, he needed Mabel to trust Bill.

  
"Without him having any malicious intentions," he lied.

  
Mabel simply nodded, waiting for Dipper to speak again.

  
"In return for helping find the scum who took Mom and Dad away from us, I... I let him inhabit my body for a few hours a day."

  
Mabel's jaw locked up and she sat there with a worried and distressed expression. After a minute, she let out a deep, concerned sigh and walked over to her chair by her desk, grabbing her sketchbook and simply... drawing.

  
Dipper, confused, attempted to ask what she was doing, before she cut him off with a sullen tone in her voice.

  
"Go... Go do whatever bullshit it is you do."

  
Dipper was heartbroken once he heard those words. His twin didn't curse as much as he did, but when she did, he knew it usually meant she was feeling absolutely awful. He threw on his jacket before walking out of their bedroom.

  
As he left, he said, "Maybe it was a mistake to trust you."

  
She heard the door slam shut and promptly crossed her arms on her desk, burying her face and crying. 

* * *

 

Dipper spent the rest of his time for the day staying at his favorite spot. It was a cliff way up high, but he loved being there when he could; especially at sunset. It overlooked the entirety of Gravity Falls. Its enormous forest, beautiful sky, and even the small pond was visible. It created a wave of euphoria through the minds of anyone who was lucky enough to be there.

Bill was sitting on his shoulder, just taking in what he could.

  
The wind blew through Dipper's hair, whipping his bangs back to reveal his birthmark. Of course, the mark didn't bother him as much as it did when he was younger; in fact, he thought it looked kind of cool.

  
As day quickly turned to night and the stars peeked out from the darkened sky, the lights of the houses in Gravity Falls lit up and made for a very cozy looking hometown. Any stress that had been caused when he was fighting with his twin melted away as he enjoyed the presence of the night sky and the demon beside him. He knew Mabel wouldn't stay mad at him for long. If anything, she'd likely direct her anger towards Bill.

  
Bill looked at his watch for a moment and reminded Dipper, "Okay, kid. You know what it's time for! Actually, we're gonna be doing a little something special tonight."

  
Dipper grinned excitedly. By now, Dipper recognized that Bill saying "special" would lead to something he was looking forward to.

  
"Special? How so?"

  
"Questions, questions! Kid, you'll find out soon enough."

  
At once, he felt his body transporting to some unfamiliar place. Upon arrival, a light, sharp kick attacked his chest, though he had been used to it after months of teleportation. Dipper once again felt that feeling of being squished into a small space as Bill took hold of his body. There wasn't much they needed to do to get into the target's house.

Sneaking up as he usually did, Bill subdued the target, knocking him out with chloroform before tying his hands and feet and gagging him.

  
"Alright, Dipper- here's the deal. I'm letting you take care of this guy tonight!"

  
Dipper felt Bill detach from his body and felt bewildered. He turned to look at Bill.

  
"I- fuck, wait, are you sure... Am I really able to do this?"

  
"You've got the anger deep down somewhere, you know. I'm quite aware that you couldn't care less about anyone that isn't direct friends and family; you've had a boiling hatred for quite a long time, right? There were times where you couldn't even trust your own great uncle, you remember?"

  
Dipper hadn't even noticed he did, but now that Bill had mentioned it... He did have a very sadistic personality. Not that he'd ever shown it before the deal was even made, but he knew from the first night that he had enjoyed watching Bill; perhaps a little too much.

  
He lost any hesitance at that moment. He muttered to himself, "Right. Why should this be any different?"

  
Leaping up, he overturned the unconcious man's body so that he was lying on his stomach. From watching Bill, he could perform a masterpiece of a murder by now. He dug the knife deeply into the man's back, a spring of blood streaming out and spraying Dipper's face and collar. He didn't seem to mind, cutting away as if the man were a cardboard box. He made a delightful shape of a heart, which was his first target organ; he planned to go in the same order that Bill did on the first night. Heart, spine, intestines, lungs; he remembered it all vividly.

After playing around with the heart for a while, tossing it up and down like a baseball, he got bored and slammed it down against the man's head. It made a soft squishing sound as the blood oozed out of every hole it could find.

Next up, he reached in and grabbed hold of the backbone, pulling and tugging at it as if it were a root in the ground. When it was detached, a small spasm was sent throughout the body; then Dipper carved all the flesh off of it, having it look like the sort of spine you'd see on a skeleton in science classrooms.

  
Dipper wasn't very fond of the intestines, so he simply pulled them out, sliced them up in a few places and stuffed the mush that was the heart into one end.

  
As he delicately carved out the lungs, he thought about how well Bill had done it the first time, and so quickly too. He reached in and ripped off the part connecting the two lungs so that each separate. Amused, he blew into the small hole that was the opening of the lung, taking care not to actually touch it with his lips. He became more amused once he saw that the lung actually did inflate, and to be honest, he found it pretty cool-looking.

  
In the end, Dipper laid down on the wooden floor, surrounded by a circle of various organs and covered from head to toe in blood, blood, and more blood. He looked towards the man, barely recognizable from the mess. He was nothing more than a disgusting pulp of a corpse with a few ribs and such still visible.

  
Dipper sat there and looked towards an approving Bill. He was quite satisfied with his handiwork.

  
"This is absolutely beautiful, kid. Never seen such perfectionism before." Bill glanced at the clock. Three hours had passed. "Of course, the time could've been better, but time's really not an important factor. Great work, Dipper."

  
Dipper smiled. It felt like a dream. Not a nightmare, just... a dream.


	8. Forgive and Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, this chapter is really short! I apologize. I would've liked for it to be longer, but I didn't want to drag out the details or leave off the chapter at a not-so-great moment. Trust me, you don't want details being dragged out. It can make for a boring read -_-'' I think I'll make it up to you with the next chapter. Dipper's starting to fit all the pieces together now. Perhaps next chapter we'll even find out who this villain really is!

Dipper sat staring blankly at the ceiling. After a month or two of searching for initials and other clues, he still wasn't able to find it. He couldn't believe it took him as long as it did to comb through the entirety of the house; except for a certain room he purposefully avoided. This would be the attic. The attic of his former house was so small that he, even now, could barely fit in it. If anything, it could probably be used to store jars of peanut butter or something in.

  
Then, after determining the house had been completely searched, he decided to take a look. Grabbing hold of the dangling string and yanking it, the ladder to the upper room slid down. He popped his head in, shielding his eyes from the light coming from the circular window at the far end of the attic.

  
He took a minute to cough wildly after accidentally inhaling some dust. Once he returned, he glanced over the small space, inspecting its walls. He pulled himself up into the space, barely able to move or breathe. He nudged his way forward until he felt a loose board on his right. Surprised, he reached over to push it out of the way, revealing a way to the roof.

  
How had he not known about this?

  
Once he was outside and on the roof, he dusted off his shirt. Could this be where he would find the initials at last?

  
He looked around on the flattened roof. To his right was a chimney top, and to his left was a satellite dish- no longer in use, of course. Not far from the chimney was one of those weather vanes, creaking softly as it turned a little bit every few seconds.

  
He walked over to the weather vane, examining it closely. The spinning part was made of metal, but the pine tree symbol, replacing the usual rooster that people would have on theirs, was made of a soft, weather-rotten wood.

  
He looked at it from every angle until at last, he had found them; two initials, super small and almost invisible, on the stump near the bottom.

  
"D.F., huh? I guess we finally found out who it is behind all this..."

  
Bill had been watching Dipper the whole time.

  
"True, but you only know their initials. How else could you track them down now?"

  
Dipper stared towards the sky as the trees behind the house blocked the sun out of his eyes. A light breeze made the air slightly more chilly, and Dipper zipped up his navy blue jacket. He gave Bill a confident smirk.

  
"I've been solving mysteries for years now. I don't think one person will outsmart me easily."

  
Bill flew over and took a seat on his head, kicking his feet lightly.

  
"Well, you're not wrong, kid. I can't wait to see where this goes." 

* * *

 

Dipper would often return home after he felt like he accomplished something, or that he was done for the day. He would spend each day trying to mend his and Mabel's relationship once again, talking to her about all the things he had figured out and how close he was to solving it once and for all. He told her how Bill treated him nicely and he was anything but a threat.

Sometimes she would stubbornly and silently listen to him, giving off the sense that she was still upset, when she seemed interested and... almost proud of her brother. Most of the time she would just watch him as he would talk, his face seeming excited as he spoke. It made her smile to see that he was happy again, after so long.

  
She never asked what Bill made him do. She wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it.

  
She enjoyed what she had with her twin now, and she didn't want it to change.

  
Of course, neither of the two ever told Stan; with the stress he faced of his nephew and niece-in-law's deaths, they didn't want to add to it.

  
One night, Bill even mentioned, "You know, that twin of yours is extremely forgiving! You're lucky, from what I've seen not a lot of siblings have a strong relationship like you two."

  
It was an unconditional sibling love, and it wasn't easily broken. Obviously they could get mad over anything; but the special thing is that even when things have gone to real shit, they would still always trust and love each other.

  
Her forgiving nature and his undying trust made for an unstoppable team. They'd faced so many trials and they could face so many more.

  
And it was special to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While we're waiting to figure out who did it, have some nice, cute brother-sister relationship building. (Having 5 siblings really helps out when you talk about sibling love. I could've gone on forever.)


	9. Dragonfly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I promised! Much longer, more descriptive, a bit of action, and a special guest! Enjoy!

Bill sat patiently waiting on Dipper's shoulder, watching him scroll through pages of news articles involving cases which appeared to have been done by the same killer, the infamous D.F.; though the articles never mentioned a name or anything close to the initials. Comments sections were filled with aggressive commentators, some screaming in all caps. Those types always gave Dipper a headache. Many of the people called D.F. something like "Jack the Rip-off", thinking they were being clever.

  
He clicked on links that led him to other various sources of information, some of which were helpful, some that were not. In fact, he was even able to find a tracker of where D.F. had supposedly been killing lately; mostly more in the Southwest areas, but also in places around the world.

  
There was one article that had caught his eye in particular. It theorized that a new serial killer, who people seemed to call "The Cheetah", was working with the one they knew as "Jack the Rip-off".

  
Dipper murmured to himself, "'The Cheetah?' That name sounds fucking stupid. Wonder who the poor bastard was who got stuck with that name."

  
Seeing the name was underlined and in blue text, he hovered over it and a list of murders that seemed connected appeared. All places that Dipper had been...

  
He threw a hand to his forehead.

  
"Are you fucking serious? _That's_ the name they went with? Cheetahs aren't even that cool. Lions are cool, cheetahs suck."

  
Bill quietly chuckled and replied, "It's because you hop around so fast. You're silent and you're in and out of there in no time, still having fun while doing it."

  
Dipper huffed in annoyance, muttering, "Doesn't mean they're cool. I still prefer the name Lion over a goddamn cheetah," he rolled over on his bed, looking towards the ceiling and continuing, "Besides, who could even believe that bullshit? I haven't been killing nearly as long as they have."

  
"Maybe they thought this D.F. got an accomplice of sorts."

  
He let out a thoughtful sigh and closed his eyes. "Maybe, Bill. Maybe."

* * *

The next day was going to be a very interesting, eventful day for them. Dipper woke up a bit earlier than usual, just before the sun was up and while the sky was still a dark purple with a bit of blue. For a few minutes, he squinted his eyes until he was able to adjust to the bathroom light.

He stepped into the shower, leaning against the wall and looking up, drowning in thought. Would he be able to find D.F. and finally know the identity of the killer? Once he got there, would he be able to take on this murderer? How-

  
His questions were interrupted by none other than Bill, the sudden sound of his voice startling Dipper.

  
"Morning, Pine Tree! You got an early head start today!"

  
He instinctively covered himself with his hands, feeling awkward and agitated at the same time. His face flushed red and he turned away from Bill.

  
"H-hey, hey! Jesus Christ, Bill! You can't just appear like that. I was taking a shower, if you didn't notice!"

  
"I noticed, but trust me, it's no big deal."

  
"It is, though! You knew I would be embarrassed!"

  
Bill simply shrugged, "Well, I can't help that."

  
Dipper shot him a bitter glance and replied, "You can, you asshole, by giving me a few minutes to actually shower."

  
"Alright, alright, kid. Relax! Also, you'll be fine when we meet the murderer. Remember, you have an almighty demon around with you and I promised to help you out."

  
He let out a breath of relief once he saw Bill vanish. He took this time to quickly shower and finish the rest of his daily morning routine. As he threw on his blue and green flannel shirt and his light, black jacket, Dipper thought back to the shower moment, blushing again.

  
"God dammit, Bill."

* * *

The two didn't go to the house. Instead, Bill took them down south to a rainy little town called Flagstaff, located in Arizona. Dipper remembered taking a family trip with his parents and Mabel once in Arizona a long time ago and stopping here. He remembered going on that "Extreme Ropes Course" and nearly making it all the way through, but falling on the final obstacle. Mabel would always do one course over and over again just so she could zip-line down from the highest tree.

The dreary weather made the memories seem distant and blurry now. The fun times he thought of now could never be made with the same people. It was a terrible idea to think about, but it was one he had come to reality with. He threw on his hood once he felt a drop of rain splash against his left cheek.

  
While among the crowd, Dipper whispered to Bill, "They can't... see you?"

  
Bill added, "Or hear me! For now. Which is a relief. Also, you don't have to whisper. I can hear you think if I want to."

  
"Right," Dipper thought, "So they should be here, right? You'll know who it is?"

  
"Yep! You've come this far, I think it's about time I actually start helping-"

  
Dipper listened and waited for Bill to say something. Confused, he turned his head towards Bill, who had been sitting on his shoulder. To his utter surprise, Bill looked concerned and almost... scared.

  
"Bill? Uh, something wrong?"

  
Bill looked ahead and said in a nervous tone, "No, no- It's nothing, Pine Tree. Just hurry up a bit more, yeah? And maybe duck into a wide alley or something."

  
Dipper was bewildered, but he placed his trust in Bill. He hurried over to a wide alley, away from the mess of people in town. Once he was far enough down the alley, he took a moment to catch his breath.

  
"Bill, is someone or something following us?"

  
"Yes- Well, sort of. They're distracted by us. Also, they're getting closer. I would pull out a knife or two, if I were you."

  
Bill shuddered slightly as he felt a familiar presence approach. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew that it was hostile and he knew he had felt it before.

  
Dipper turned to face the end of the passageway. His heart raced fast as a figure stopped and looked towards him. For a second, he could have sworn he saw the stranger's right eye glow purple, the pupil taking a rectangular shape.

  
Faster than he could blink, the stranger was already next to him; Dipper had only caught a glance of two pairs of insect wings on the back of their cape before taking a knee to the stomach and collapsing to the ground.

  
"D... F..." He groaned.

  
A female voice spoke up; it was cold and unwavering and there was no sense of sympathy or compassion in it.

  
"It stands for Dragonfly."

  
Dipper clambered to his feet, facing the girl. It was cloudy and dark, and hard to make out her features; he could see that she had pale, fragile skin and the most maniacal-looking grin plastered on her face. Her eyes appeared to him cold and dead, and they were easily the most hateful looking blue eyes he'd ever seen. Her jet black hair was barely visible under the guise of her hood. She couldn't have been much older than Dipper himself, even though she was clearly shorter; lastly, she did not appear strong, but her attack a few moments ago told him otherwise.

  
Dipper glared at her with a vengeful look. She did not seem at all concerned or intimidated, nor did she look like she cared.

  
"I remember... you," she said, her eyes darting across his face, "Hm. The 'Pine Tree'; that's what he calls you, too."

  
He was visibly livid by now, though he knew he had to keep his cool. He ran towards her at full speed, swiping at her with a knife and then quickly turning it around to swipe again from the opposite direction. She only seemed amused. Again and again, he tried kicking her feet out from behind her, thrusting his knife at her stomach, throwing a punch to her jaw; every time, she dodged it.

  
A small bit of his knife was able to snag her hood, leaving a tiny rip in the side. She threw on an annoyed expression, grabbing the knife from his hand and quickly running up behind him. She viciously stabbed his leg, the knife cutting all the way through and digging into the ground, causing him to cry out in pain. He was pegged down. She hurried over and grabbed him by the hair.

  
"We knew you would be coming," she told him, tugging his hair, "You are the 'Cheetah', yeah?"

  
He spit out a bit of blood on her left shoe. He whispered, "Fuck you."

  
She promptly slammed his head against the concrete, nearly causing him to black out.

  
"This is a warning to you; Do not follow us. You are weak. If we meet again, you will not live."

  
He felt her hand let go of his hair and heard her footsteps scamper away. Afterwards, Bill hurried over to Dipper, who started asking a bunch of questions.

  
"Later, kid, later! I can't talk at the moment. I'll answer it all in time, but not right now, Dipper."

  
He smiled. It was always refreshing to him to hear Bill say his name. He stopped talking and groaned in pain once he tried to get back up. He heard Bill tell him in a panicked voice not to try and get up. The world started to blur as Dipper closed his eyes, and Bill's voice started to fade.

  
Once again, Dipper had passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, I based the little "Extreme Ropes Course" story off of the time I went there with my older sister! It was awesome and that last obstacle was something where you had to use your arms and legs to get across a rope, and it's hard as shit. I fell from it twice. Also, fuck cheetahs.
> 
> BONUS: I drew a concept thing, like what Dragonfly might look like. http://i.imgur.com/MNf4Qsl.jpg


	10. How Strange...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably could have made this chapter longer, in retrospect. Sorry about that!

  
Dipper looked around at the looming darkness surrounding him. He felt as though he was deep, deep underwater, in the depths of the ocean. He had no urge to breathe, and simply floated there, unsure of what to think; or even if he could think. Occasionally he could hear distant yelling, though he mostly only heard a soft ringing in his ears. The ringing grew louder and louder, until he felt a great pain in his heart and awoke.

  
He jerked up, clutching a hand to his chest and breathing rapidly. He looked around, spying a sleeping Mabel on his right, sitting in a chair. There was a steady beeping coming from somewhere behind him, but he payed no attention to it and instead took in the hospital room that was around him.

  
It was dark, presumably night. His body ached and he felt like shit as he tried to adjust to the small amount of light coming from the sliver of curtains on his left. He leaned back into his bed, sighing and staring at the unfamiliar ceiling.

  
A bright glow filled the room suddenly as Bill appeared in front of Dipper, who had been shielding his eyes from the sudden illumination.

  
"Bill!" Dipper called out quietly, taking care not to wake his twin, "You- Did you... bring me here?"

  
"If by 'brought you here' you mean 'brought you to your sister who came up with some excuse for your uncle who brought you here', then yes. I did," Bill replied.

  
Dipper let out a breath of relief. "And... Dragonfly?"

  
Bill shook his head, "Got away."

  
Dipper felt miserable and outraged. He gripped his sheets, his face darkening as he reminded himself of what she had done. Letting out an aggravated hum, he asked, "Couldn't you have just, like, healed me up or something??"

  
The demon shot him a look of concern, holding his hands up in defense and responding, "I mean, I could have, but what would be the use? Would you have had me heal you up right then and there so that you could chase after her again and get yourself killed?"

  
Dipper let go of the blankets, calming down for a moment before saying, "I need to get out of here."

  
"Not with those battle wounds, kid. You need to get stronger, and that's something I can help you with. For now, just sit tight and you can worry about this stuff later."

  
Dipper shifted impatiently under the blankets, groaning in pain once he tried to move. He closed his eyes for a long while, thinking over the events that had caused all this. His gaze flickered over to the blue-lighted lamp outside and he reconsidered what Bill had told him.

  
"True, but what about your end of the deal?" Dipper asked.

  
"It can wait. I'm not helping you at the moment, so it's only fair that you don't need to help me at the moment."

  
Dipper hesitated before saying, "Fine, but once I'm out, would you mind letting me do the work for the first night or two? This whole Dragonfly situation is really getting on my nerves."

  
Bill shrugged, "Hey, whatever you're up for, kid. It'll be fun either way."

  
Dipper shot him a thankful grin before he disappeared. Once he was gone, Dipper looked over to Mabel with tired eyes, sadly watching as she curled up in a ball and shivered. Reaching over to the end of his bed, he grabbed a heavy quilt and threw it around his sister, who sleep-smiled in reaction to the sudden warmth.

  
Leaning back once more into the welcoming softness of his pillows, he pulled the blanket over himself, curling up and drifting into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

 

  
The next week or two went by rather quickly, and Dipper had been recovering nicely. His torn up leg didn't bother him much now, except for the fact that he still had a cast there. Mabel would spend all day hanging around her brother and drawing with him and coming up with new stories. Even Stan would come visit often, though during the day he had to stay back and run the Mystery Shack.

  
Some nights, Mabel would be allowed to stay over at the hospital and talk with Dipper until she would fall asleep at midnight. Dipper would stay up for a bit to converse with Bill, or even to think of his new plan of attack for when he met Dragonfly again.

  
At last, after three weeks of recovery, Dipper was discharged from the hospital. When he got home, the Pines had a small party to welcome him back, which he appreciated to a great extent. It didn't have to be over-extravagant, but Mabel couldn't help herself, and the Shack was covered in streamers and balloons. The kitchen was messy with spilled flour and sugar that Mabel used to try and bake a cake. She didn't cook or bake often, but it turned out amazing when she did, albeit she did make a mess.

  
That night, Bill appeared once again to whisk him away. Dipper had dressed for the occasion, wearing a white collared shirt, a lazy black tie, and a pair of dress pants. He had his sleeves rolled up as he reached for a knife or two, testing the blade on his own wrist before wiping it off again. He adjusted the bandage that was still wrapped around his head, feeling the numerous spots on the side of his head where he had recently gotten stitches removed.

  
"Those knives don't look nearly as sharp as you, Pine Tree," Bill told him as he sat on his shoulder. Dipper smirked graciously at the comment and prepared himself for the teleportation sensation again.

  
Once they landed, Dipper spat out a small puddle of blood as if it didn't affect him. He began to walk towards the house until a small glint of light caught his eye; it was a very sharp-looking axe, and Dipper grinned at the thought of the damage it could do. Picking it up and carrying it over his shoulder, he searched for a quiet way in. A moment later, he muttered under his breath, "Fuck that."

  
Swiping the axe down against the door's lock, he pushed it open and walked around inside, spying a young-looking woman slouched down on the couch, somehow still sleeping. She couldn't have been more than twenty-two, he deduced.

  
Dipper shot an impressed look to Bill, who shrugged at her ability to sleep through a tornado.

  
He let the axe down quietly and pulled out the sharper, shorter one of his two knives. He could have more fun with the axe later, but first he wanted to make sure she didn't wake up. Settling down on top of her and preparing his knife, he heard her mutter something- presumably a name. Perhaps her boyfriend's name?

  
Dipper smiled. He wasn't going to get pulled into something like that. Instead, he cupped her face in his left hand gently and lifted the knife, letting it fall quickly to her forehead. At once her eyes shot open, but she was gone before she had a moment to think or react.

  
He had a lot of fun taking out his pent-up frustration on this victim. A whole three weeks of waiting and thinking about his parent's killer, and how she got away from them... He imagined the face of this woman to be the Dragonfly's face, and that made the whole experience more enjoyable.

  
He dismembered her, holding her dripping, blood-soaked head in his hands. Had he been going crazy? Perhaps. He had stabbed her torso over and over, so many times; each time, he whispered, "Fuck you."

  
He felt a weight lift from his shoulders as Bill watched on proudly. It was amazing to see what the triangular demon had transformed the once-sulking, once-miserable boy into.

  
As soon as Dipper felt accomplished, the two left, leaving no trace of themselves. Dipper had gotten very good at that despite Bill's help. They took a walk down the empty morning road, chatting about how well Dipper had done. The blood, of course, still soaked Dipper's white shirt, and his arm was coated with it as well. A small splash of the now-cold liquid was on his face as well.

  
Then he turned towards Bill inquisitively, asking, "Bill, you remember what Dragonfly said? She kept saying "we" and "us". Is there any reason to that, or...?"

  
"Actually, I was just about to tell you about that!" Bill showed a worried expression as he began, "See, the thing is... I stopped talking to you for a minute on the street because I sensed a familiar presence. It was not only familiar, but it was strong; like a demon's."

  
"Another demon?" Dipper questioned, "Dragonfly's been killing with the help of a..."

  
Bill nodded, "With the help of a demon, exactly. It's entirely possible she's been possessed, and that voice... The way she spoke, I mean. It sounds like a demon I knew. Also, even if she is possessed, she's still letting what happened to your parents happen to more people. So it's ultimately still her fault."

  
Dipper looked down at his feet bitterly as he walked ahead. He thought for a few moments and then asked, "I did see her eye flash purple for a moment, and her pupils took a weird shape. What did you say the demon's name was?"

  
Bill hated the name and everything about the other demon, and he told Dipper reluctantly.

  
"Strange," he said, "Tad Strange."


	11. Sad Machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name of this chapter was actually based off a song I've been thinking about recently. It seems fitting. Also, I like Porter Robinson's music a lot! Here's the song the title was named after: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPyQAF2SkrE

The next two weeks were crazy busy for Dipper. In addition to recovery, he started taking up Bill's offer for fighting lessons.

  
For three or four hours a day, he would practice his dodging and knife-play up in the attic of the Mystery Shack. Bill would create this weird projection of a human, who was shaped to be the same height and stature as Dragonfly, though it didn't look anything like her. If Dipper were to compare it to anything, a mannequin is what he would choose.

  
On the weekends, he would hang out with Mabel more and do fun things with her. They would go to all different places in Gravity Falls; they would explore the woods like they would when they were younger, take trips into town to shop, or go to a cafe or diner and just hang around, talking. If he wasn't busy, Stan would go grab something to eat with them, too.

  
Sometimes, if Dipper was feeling super nostalgic, he and Bill would spend time at his old home. He would sit on the nearly broken swing set and reminisce about his times with Mabel, while Bill would talk about the adventures he had encountered for the few years that he was away from Gravity Falls, which was during most of Dipper's teenage life.

  
One rainy day, after practicing upstairs for a while, Dipper decided to go and visit his parents again. Dressing up in the similar white collared shirt, tie, and dress pants that he had worn the first night home from the hospital, he asked Bill to bring him to that dreadful place where rested his parents remains.

  
Dipper popped open the umbrella and held it over his head as he walked throughout the cemetery, soon spotting his parents' graves. Bill sat patiently on his shoulder as always, watching as Dipper strolled solemnly to their resting place. Seeing as they were under the cover of a rather large tree, Dipper closed his umbrella and sat in between the two coarse stones.

  
Taking a moment to close his eyes and reflect, Dipper simply started talking.

  
"We... We found your killer," he spoke aloud. Smiling, he looked down and glanced towards both patches of dirt.

  
"You know, she got away the first time. Fortunately that won't happen again. Um..." He shook his head and forced out a quick laugh, "God... This must be stupid."

  
Dipper leaned back against the tree, staring up at the dark silhouette of the leaves. His face changed to a pained expression and he bit his lip, trying his best to hold back his tears. When he spoke, he spoke with a broken voice.

  
"Mabel and I, we've been getting along well; really well. Nothing to worry about there. Stan's been busy, but he's watching over us and doing a great job. I..." he paused, trying to find something positive to say about himself, "I, well... You probably won't like to hear this, but I've been doing some 'dirty work' at night. I'm sure if you knew right now, you'd have probably disowned me or something, but I just... Anything I do is for you."

  
His face twisted and he failed to hold back a sob. Digging his nails into the soft, damp dirt, he pounded his fist on the ground.

  
"Dammit," he whispered, "I'm sorry."

  
He pulled his knees to his chest and held his head in both hands.

  
Bill watched cheerlessly as Dipper's depression started to grab hold of him again. Bill said nothing, but instead held a hand up to the back of Dipper's head. His body had been shaking and shivering from his breakdown and from the chilly air, but a warm sensation rushed throughout his veins once Bill placed his hand on the back of his head.

  
Dipper shot a thankful smile at the demon and rubbed the tears from his eyes, breathing calmly once more. 

* * *

 

Dipper slid open the attic window, letting in a cool, fresh breeze. Sitting in the small cushioned nook and letting his feet dangle from inside, he watched as Stan led a small group around the house. They had all been pointing their cameras towards something on the porch and he saw multiple flashes. He leaned against the window frame, pulling up one leg and swinging the other one lightly.

"Pine Tree?" Bill inquired, trying to get Dipper's attention.

  
"Ah, sorry Bill. Just looking on."

  
Bill floated over and landed on his kneecap, seeing the same scene unfold. One younger boy, who looked to be about eleven or twelve, had wandered off towards the woods. He had his hand placed on a tree and watched curiously. His parents must have called his name, because his head quickly turned and looked toward the group, which started to follow Stan around the building to a different part of the tour.

  
Dipper heard the kid yell to his parents, "Sorry, I just thought I saw something in the woods!"

  
He chuckled slightly at the thought. This kid reminded him of... him.

  
Just before the kid rounded the corner, he looked towards the woods once more, and then up at Dipper, who had waved to the kid.

  
Just then, Mabel burst through the attic door, holding her sketch book and showing off her new character design. Dipper nodded and said, "That guy looks awesome!"

  
Mabel walked over to where Dipper was and took a seat next to him. "What're ya doing up here all alone, bro-bro?"

  
Dipper smiled at the mention of the nickname. "Actually, I was getting some training in today. Bill's helping me."

  
Bill suddenly made himself visible to Mabel, who winced at the sight of him. Obviously, she was still not used to the thought of Dipper having made a deal with his sworn enemy, but she allowed it if her brother truly trusted him.

  
"Hey there, Shooting Star!" Bill chuckled eagerly.

  
"Ah... Hey, Bill," she forced out, "What kind of training do you mean?"

  
Dipper jumped to his feet excitedly, saying, "I'll show you!"

  
He rushed towards the middle of the room to where a small white piece of tape had been set. Bill simply snapped his fingers and a transparent, mannequin-like figure appeared in front of him. Dipper flipped out his knife and assumed a fighting position.

  
Before Mabel could blink, Dipper had made his way to where the opponent stood, keeping his body low and holding his knife in front of him, ready to block any attacks. Thrusting his blade up towards the figure, it twisted out of his way rather quickly and reached over to grab onto his wrist, which it missed by an inch. Instead, Dipper spun the blade around to the other side and gave it a quick jab in the forearm, jumping around and keeping his eyes on the figure the whole time.

  
Dipper watched the figure's movements as it rushed towards him and swung it's blade down, nearly striking Dipper's face in the process. Dipper retaliated by slicing the back of the figure's hand and making it drop it's weapon, which Dipper snatched up with his other hand before blocking it's jaw-punch and jabbing it in the wrist, pulling the knife all the way down the arm, rendering it useless.

  
It had pulled the knife from its arm and quickly made its way around the back of Dipper, who was unable to dodge the attack as the knife was heavily thrust into his hip.

  
"Dipper!" Mabel cried out, rushing over with concern.

  
Dipper laughed and turned around, totally unharmed. Mabel still hurried to his side to hug him, though. He said, "Mabel, Mabel! Don't worry, just a projection."

  
Bill crossed his arms in thought. He had been examining the fight closely. He spoke up, "You really need to work on those dodging skills, Pine Tree. However fast this projection is, I'm sure that Dragonfly will be twice as fast. Otherwise..." he floated over to where Dipper stood and patted him on the head, saying, "Good job, kid!"

  
"Dragonfly?" Mabel broke out of the embrace and looked at her twin, confused.

  
"Right! So, uh, good news. We actually found the murderer. I've been training these past few weeks to fight her. In fact, she was the one who sent me to the hospital a while back." Dipper turned towards Bill, "You didn't tell her that?"

  
"She was too worried for you to care. If someone doesn't ask, I don't have to tell them. Plus, she came up with a good excuse for your injuries anyways."

  
Dipper shrugged, "Guess that means I'll have to tell you all about it."

  
Mabel nodded in agreement, and Dipper began to tell her about the events of the past few months, purposefully leaving out the part of him killing others; just the investigation, how they found Dragonfly, things like that.

  
It was going to be a bit of a long story.


	12. A Great Rift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes! This is gonna be a pretty sad chapter. Buckle in kids, we're going on a feels trip.

It was an overly hot day as Dipper was lying down on his back in the attic, sweating profusely and gasping for air. It had to have been about 80 degrees and the air was sticky with humidity. Fortunately, the wind blew in chilly gusts of air every few minutes and it served well-enough as a natural air conditioner.

  
Dipper threw a hand over his face, wiping his grimy forehead and closing his eyes, exhausted. With the amount of training and how well he did today, it was only expected that he should be that tired.

  
For the past month or so, Mabel had been sitting in on his practice sessions with Bill. She usually brought up a sketchbook to take quick notes- just in case she ever needed a reference for fighting scenes. She would cheer him on constantly, and it usually gave him all the confidence he needed. He enjoyed Bill's appraisal as well, seeing as Bill was sort of the one who would be able to provide criticism.

  
After a particularly long day of exercise, Dipper let his heart race as he felt the blood pump through his veins, feeling his pulse vibrate throughout his body. He felt like he just ran a 5 kilometer race.

  
Pulling himself up into a sitting position, he looked towards his twin and Bill, both looking very proud and impressed. The corners of his mouth perked up in an appreciative smile. He felt like he was ready to take on anything, especially Dragonfly. He leaped to his feet before suddenly feeling an arm being thrown around him.

  
"Awesome as usual, Dip!" Mabel exclaimed, "You're getting better everyday."

  
He simply shrugged and let out a smile, saying, "Well, you know. Doing it for a reason gives me all the more motivation I need."

  
Mabel put a hand to her chin and made a hum of thought. Snapping her fingers, she turned to her twin and said, "Hey! I've been thinking about it, and I've made up my mind. How's about you let me join you and Bill on whatever it is you two do at night?"

  
Dipper's face quickly changed to a panicked expression as he glanced towards Bill and stuttered, "I-I... Mabel, I don't... That might not be the best-"

  
Suddenly, Bill snapped his fingers, and Dipper felt his jaw clamp up.

  
"Why, Shooting Star! What an interesting idea! I might just have to take you up on it," Bill replied.

  
Bill floated over towards Dipper and knocked on his head two or three times. Dipper's mouth fell open, but he wasn't able to form any words. Mabel watched the scene unfold, not sure if she wanted to join them anymore. But, she trusted her twin; he wouldn't have agreed to something absolutely horrible, right?

  
"In fact, no changing your mind at this point!" Bill chuckled as he floated towards Mabel and tapped her head twice; suddenly, she felt very dizzy but confident in her decision.

  
Bill quickly took hold of Dipper's body, leaving Dipper unable to warn his sister of the impending danger or horror she would be experiencing. He was mentally yelling at Bill, things like, "What are you doing?!" or "Stop playing with our minds, Bill!"

  
But Bill simply ignored.

  
In a moment or two, Mabel underwent the same feeling that Dipper felt the first time he teleported. That strange, underwater feeling. Upon landing, Dipper watched on helplessly in his own mind as Mabel grasped for her chest and fell to the ground, writhing in pain as blood leaked from her mouth.

  
"Bill! You knew she wasn't ready for that!" Dipper yelled.

  
"Not my problem. She'll get over it soon, Pine Tree, just like you did."

  
Dipper tried to argue, but found no use in it, seeing as Bill wouldn't respond. Once Mabel had gotten over the pain, Bill apologized- though it was really half-hearted, and more of a taunt than an actual apology- and held out his hand, which Mabel took.

  
Bill led the two to a small house near the edge of the town they had teleported to. With a quick, "Wait here," Bill sneaked around the house and was pleased to find an open window leading into a darkened dining room. He signaled Mabel over and started to climb into the window. Once through, he offered a hand to Mabel, who looked nervous and confused.

  
"Why... Why are we breaking into someone's house?"

  
Bill replied while smiling maliciously, "Think of it as me visiting an old friend."

  
Mabel was unsure about that smile, but felt dizzy again and unconsciously reached for Bill's- or rather, Dipper's- hand.

  
He hoisted Mabel into the room and motioned for her to follow. A small T.V. playing static in a living room was the only source of light and a quiet buzzing sound could be heard coming from it. A gentle snore interrupted the buzz every half a minute or so. Other than the nice set of stairs to their left, the house was nothing short of a huge dump.

  
Bill made his way over to the sleeping man; he wasn't too old, maybe in his early thirties. He had a stocky build and it didn't seem like he ate much, but he was visibly an alcoholic, seeing as there were bottles scattered around his chair, even some smashed against the wall.

  
Then Bill struck. He whipped out his knife nonchalantly and covered the man's mouth as he carved a path deep into his throat. Mabel was taken aback and stumbled over her own feet falling to the ground as she watched Bill cut up the man. Bill looked at her distressed expression as he held the man down, stifling his screams. He seemed very pleased at seeing how horrified she was. Dipper, however, was livid with Bill. He said nothing for the time being, but once they returned to Gravity Falls...

  
She watched. She simply sat there, crying as she was reminded of that day she came home with Dipper to find their parents were dead. She was experiencing her trauma all over again.

  
Bill walked over to her, holding the cold heart of the man in his hands. He chuckled maniacally as he lifted the heart up to her eye level, poking it gently with his knife.

  
"Are you remembering something, Shooting Star?"

  
Dipper warned, "Bill, back the fuck away from my sister."

  
Mabel threw her hands over her ears and stared down at her knees, clearly horrified because of the trauma she was being forced to relive. Bill tossed the heart to the side, flicking the blood off of the blade and holding her chin up.

  
"You know..." he started, taking the knife and dragging it across her tear-stained cheek, leaving a small incision. He switched ends, holding the knife by the blade and using the handle to tap Mabel's chin up.

  
"You know, you're brother enjoys this quite a lot. Almost as much as I do."

  
Mabel couldn't find her words. Her mind was blank and all that remained was a sense of fear and anger.

  
Dipper started to shout mentally once more at Bill, who snapped his fingers, unamused. Immediately, Dipper felt like Bill had pacified his mind as everything faded into nothing but static. The last thing he could remember hearing Bill say was, "Such a problem child..."

  
He patted Mabel's head, saying, "He was always this, deep down. I only helped him surface that disgust he had for humanity. I can't be totally blamed for all the people he's killed."

  
Mabel threw a punch at him unexpectedly. It caught him off guard and knocked him back, giving her enough time to pin him down and hit him wildly. Bill felt no pain and allowed her to keep punching him. As the tears dripped down from her face and onto his shirt, her punches slowed down and weakened before coming to a halt.

  
"Oh, Mabel Pines. What would your parents think of all this fighting?"

  
For the first time during their whole encounter, Mabel spoke up.

  
"... Please take me home. I want this nightmare to end now."

  
Bill smiled malevolently. "Whatever you say, Shooting Star."

* * *

  
In a minute, they were back in the yard of the Mystery Shack. Mabel suffered from the side-effects of teleportation once again. Once that was over, Dipper had regained control over his body and Bill floated in front of the two, looking amused. Dipper had snapped back to reality and was just about to go off on Bill, but from looking at his twin's terrified face, all the words he could manage out were, "Stay the fuck away from my sister."

  
Bill chuckled and started to disappear. Just before vanishing, he said, "I'll see you again real soon, Pine Tree. Sweet dreams."

  
Dipper turned to look at Mabel. She glared at him with the most hateful looking eyes. The only other place he had seen such venemous eyes was back in Flagstaff... In Dragonfly's eyes.

  
He started to slowly reach over to comfort his twin, who backed away and muttered something about him being a monster before stumbling to her feet and running inside the Shack, slamming the door as she ran to her room crying.

  
Dipper sat in the grass, looking down at the earth as his heart shattered at the mention of the word "monster". He got up and made his way to the building, closing the front door gently. Stan stood at the foot of the stairs and turned around at the sound of the door opening. He stared at Dipper and looked surprised.

  
"Jesus, what happened to your face?"

  
Dipper had almost forgotten about the beating he got from his sister. He remembered the events clearly, it was just... That he wasnt able to do anything about it at the time. For now, he simply shrugged and scratched the back of his head, coming up with some sort of "we were fighting a monster" excuse.

  
Stan pointed a thumb upstairs and asked, "Right. What's Mabel upset about then?"

  
Dipper shrugged again. "Guess the monster was pretty... Horrifying," he choked out.

  
Yes, the monster she met was horrifying.

  
Dipper shook his head and brushed past Stan, "I'm just gonna go take a shower and head to bed."

  
Stan nodded in response. He assumed Dipper would probably be more of a comfort now for his sister and left the room, but he couldn't have been further from the truth. Feeling the stinging pain on his jaws and right eye with his hand, Dipper pulled away quickly. The physical beating he got pained him greatly, but nothing broke his heart more than his sister's distrust and hostility towards him. It created a great rift between the normally unstoppable duo.

  
He wished the pain would fucking end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might have been a sad chapter, but there are even sadder ones to come. Sorry in advance if I break your heart D:


	13. Honesty is the Best Policy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this took a little while to get done: One, because I had school stuff to do, and two, because my right side felt like it was on fire yesterday for no apparent reason. I dunno what was up with that. Someone said it might be an inflammation of my appendix, but I honestly have no idea because it's off and on with the pain. Anyways! Here's a slightly longer chapter. Gotta establish that sibling relationship, yo.

Mabel remained upset at Dipper for the next week or so. Every time Dipper tried to speak to her, she would ignore him or shoot him an apprehensive glance. If she saw he was in a room, she would purposefully avoid going into that room.

  
She wouldn't let him sleep in their bedroom, so he was forced to sleep in the small nook in the attic. It was incredibly cramped and it pained him to stay there. Likewise, Dipper was angry with Bill and forcibly cut a week from the deal.

  
After a few days of Mabel avoiding him, he sat out on the bench swing on the porch of the Shack. He let his feet slowly rock the seat back and forth, looking into the woods as if he was in some kind of trance. His mind was drawn into the forest, thinking about all the adventures he used to go on with Mabel. As he chewed down on the lollipop stick he had in his mouth, he let his eyes relax slowly.

  
His eyes flew open at the feeling of a large weight shifting the bench. He turned his head and saw Grunkle Stan sitting there, looking out towards the woodlands. After a minute or two of silence, Stan turned his head to speak up.

  
"Mabel's been really upset this week, and it's pretty obvious she's been avoiding you."

  
Dipper closed his eyes once more and leaned his head back. Stan said that as if Dipper didn't already know.

  
"Dipper, I know you and your sister are closer than average siblings. What I don't know is why you two have been upset at each other this past week."

  
Stan took a moment to look down and remember something. He was very experienced at hiding emotions, but Dipper knew him well and could tell he was painfully reminiscing.  
"My brother and I used to fight like hell. We definitely weren't like you and your sister are, and we had our fair share of arguments. There was one time I remember him getting so angry with me that he locked me out of the house for a whole day, and I had to wait 'till our parents came home. It was awful."

  
Stan smiled as he remembered, "I did punch him in the arm as soon as I was inside, though. I was grounded, but it was worth it."

  
Dipper huffed a laugh through his nose. That did sound a lot like his Grunkle Stan.

  
Stan turned his head to look back towards the trees, continuing, "But the point is, no matter how frustrated we got with each other, we always ended up friends in the end. I have no idea what you did to piss off your sister, but with a sibling relationship like yours, there's a high chance that it can be mended."

  
He lifted a hand to ruffle Dipper's hair a little.

  
"Hope this helped, champ. You and your twin are one-of-a-kind and it's a little depressing to see that you guys aren't getting along."

  
Dipper watched his great uncle go back inside the Shack and once again faced the forest. After a few minutes of pondering Stan's words, he stood up and leaned against the support beam, wondering what he could do to make it up to Mabel. He snapped his fingers, remembering a beautiful place he had been to recently. Retreating back into the building, he walked up the stairs to his and Mabel's room, knocking on the door softly.

  
A hand from the other side turned the knob and opened the door, and Dipper stood looking at his twin with a forlorn expression, almost as if he was begging to be forgiven. Mabel tried to slam the door shut, but Dipper caught it with his hand.

  
"Mabel, wait- Please, just listen to me!"

  
Dipper felt the force pushing against the door relax and he slowly opened it. She stood there, looking down at the floor to avoid making eye contact with him.

  
"Mabel, I know I've made a lot of mistakes, told lies, kept a lot of secrets... But I'm still your twin brother, and you're still my twin sister. The only reason I'd ever do that is so that I wouldn't hurt you. Deep down, you know this, too."

  
He sighed and reached a hand up to place on her shoulder, saying, "I never wanted you to find out this way. I didn't ever want Bill to do something like that, and I should apologize on his behalf. I fought to get you out of there, but... I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stop that from happening."

  
After a few moments of silence between the two, Dipper pointed downstairs with his thumb. He told her, "There's... actually some place I want to show you. I think you'd like it a lot. Bring your sketchbook."

  
Mabel, still somewhat misty-eyed, felt now that she could trust her brother. She grabbed her sketchbook and a few pencils and followed her brother downstairs. Before leaving, Dipper reached into the freezer and took two popsicles, handing one to his sister as he took the wrapper off of his.

  
He led Mabel out into the woods, eagerly hurrying down the path and then stopping to wait for her to catch up. Mabel huffed a sigh and rushed into the woods, examining nature at its finest as they took obscure paths. Dipper knew the way to it, as it was a special place, and even took a different trail to get to it; it was a longer path, but it had an amazing view of a waterfall on the way.

  
They stopped at this waterfall for a few minutes as Mabel etched the picture into her mind and promptly drew it out on paper. Dipper sat and enjoyed his popsicle as Mabel drew, reminded of times that had long since passed.

  
Mabel had finished off her drawing and soon they were back on their way towards the special place.

  
Dipper stopped at a small bush, grabbing the branches from underneath and lifting them to reveal another trail. It looked darker than the other paths because of its lack of sunlight. He allowed Mabel to go first and quickly followed her. Dipper dusted his shirt off, glancing up and spotting the huge stump. Mabel had been staring at it, dumbfounded.

  
Dipper let out a small laugh, "Wait until you see what's inside!"

  
He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the rest of the way, coming to a halt at the entrance of the large tree trunk. Mabel peered inside, and what she saw was more beautiful than she could have imagined in her wildest dreams.

  
The sun was shining through the top of the trunk, leaving the prettiest sight imaginable. The golden misty light bathed the place in a warm glow. Small specs of dust floated around and created a serene atmosphere as she observed the wonderfully vibrant green of the grass and the clear, running brook flowing through the hollowed-out stump.

  
"Dipper, I... How did you even know about this place?"

  
He decided not to talk about Bill here and now and responded, "That's not important. But I mean, hey, welcome to the most inspiring place I've ever been to!"

  
Mabel sat down, speechless from the sheer allure of the inner stump. Without hesitation, she pulled out her sketchbook and began to draw at an incredible pace. Dipper sat down on her left, leaning back against her and watching her work. She didn't mind, it seemed; she was far too enamored with the place to be distracted.

  
The trunk was too magnificent to simply be put into a picture, but Mabel's sketch of it had a charm about it that seemed inimitable.

  
Leaning back into the soft comfort of the grass, the two chewed on their popsicle sticks and basked in the dreamy warmth. It reminded them of home, and most of all their parents, specifically their mother.

  
"Dipper," Mabel spoke up, "I'm so sorry that I didn't trust you these past few days. I was just... What Bill told me and what he did was terrifying, especially having seen him do it with your body."

  
"I understand," he replied, sitting up as Mabel did the same, "It only makes sense. I don't hold it against you. If anything, I should be the one apologizing after all that..."

  
Neither of them spoke for a few moments. Dipper looked back at his sister, a determined gleam in his eyes.

  
"I promise, no matter what, I won't hurt you, Mabel. I'll save you if it's the last thing I do; because you're all I have left. Even if I have to protect you from..." he paused, hesitantly continuing, "from myself."

  
Dipper reached over to hold her in an affectionate embrace. Closing his eyes, a small, steady stream of tears erupted from them as he said, "I'm so sorry, Mabel."

  
Mabel returned the hug and responded, "It's okay. I forgive you now, Dip." She pulled away and placed both hands on his shoulders, saying, "You have to stop murdering innocent people, Dipper."

  
Dipper shook his head and looked down dejectedly.

  
"Mabel, as much as I'd love to promise you that, you know I can't. Bill needs to help me, and I don't have much of a choice in the matter- you know that, Mabel. The only thing I can ask you to do is not worry about it; forgive and forget and all that, right?"

  
Mabel gave a defeated nod, answering, "I'll forgive you, but something like that... I can't forget. I'll put it out of my mind, but it's not something I can forget."

  
Dipper stood up and held a hand out for her, pulling her to her feet. The two returned happily, and all was well between the twins.

* * *

 

Dipper was about to nod off to sleep before a voice rang out from the back of his mind.

  
"Hey there, Pine Tree!"

  
Dipper pulled his hands up to his head and groaned quietly. He was still quite upset with Bill, but better late than never to settle their arguments.

  
"Bill, did you really have to start up a conversation just before I was about to sleep?"

  
Bill quickly replied, "I didn't! But I did anyway. I saw you made up with Shooting Star today."

  
"Dude, do you even know the trauma you caused her? She wouldn't talk to me for a fucking week. She doesn't hold grudges, which made it even more heart-breaking."

  
"She shouldn't have been so squeamish then."

  
"Bill."

  
"Fine, fine. Look, I apologize. I do need to remind you though, you would never have been able to tell her about it otherwise."

  
Dipper opened his eyes, a confused expression crossing his face as he mentally conversed. He asked, "What does that mean?"

  
"It means what it sounds like! Could you have honestly looked into your twin sister's sad, teary eyes and told her that not only had you been killing for months, but that you actually enjoyed it?"

  
Dipper couldn't find a good response to that. Of course he would have been able to, eventually... Right?

  
"You couldn't have. I broke it to her in the easiest way possible."

  
"By exposing her to gallons of blood she didn't necessarily need to see?"

  
"I do admit, I went a little overboard with the whole killing part of it, but she needed to see your true colors. What you've been doing. In fact, I wouldn't say it's the easiest way as much as it was the most honest way."

  
Dipper couldn't argue with that. Still, he was unhappy that Bill had hurt his sister so much.

  
"Alright, that's... That's fair. Just please, don't do something like that again. It's really hurtful to me to see her so miserable and distrustful."

  
"No promises, kid. I do what's best."

  
Dipper sighed heavily at Bill's response. Turning to lie down on his other side, he looked at his sleeping sister on her bed across the room. He thought, "I'll see you tomorrow, Bill."

  
Dipper started to fall asleep once more, but not before hearing Bill whisper one last thing.

  
"Sweet dreams, Dipper."


	14. Finding Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter! Let the fluff commence! Who knew two blood-soaked murderers could be so cute with one another?

"How about it, kid? Little practice before taking on you-know-who?"

  
Dipper stood determinedly staring at the window of the attic, beads of sweat dripping down his face as he was wheezing sharply. His training had gotten so intense these days that he was to the point of collapsing almost every time. Fortunately, it was building up both his strength and his stamina.

  
Twirling the blade to face himself, he sheathed it in the small holder on his right side and picked off his fingerless gloves. He didn't like wearing them, mainly because they reminded him of someone he hated, but it kept the sweat from interfering with his performance.

  
Turning to Bill, he nodded quickly and inhaled deeply. In between breaths, he replied, "Sounds good. Better to get some practice on actual people before anything big happens."

  
Bill hummed in agreement.

  
A full two weeks had passed since the whole incident with Mabel. She was still caring towards her brother, but being around Bill made her uneasy. Dipper tried to put as much distance between them as he could; at least until Mabel warmed up to Bill, assuming she ever would.

  
They had been tracking Dragonfly's movements around the country and keeping up with her whereabouts just so they wouldn't fall behind. Dipper's fingertips tingled with anticipation as the time grew close. He had been waiting for it for a long, long time, and words couldn't describe the intensity of his rage, which, even after he imagined her dead, would still have stuck with him for a few years to come. The time wasn't yet; he would have to wait a few more days until Dragonfly's movements were more predictable.

  
He did Bill's bidding in the meanwhile. He didn't fear for his morals anymore, because he was selfish enough to think that it didn't matter if he was being self-contradictory on the issue of killing, as long as he got what he wanted. Even if he was killing people, just the same as Dragonfly herself was doing, it didn't bother him. He was doing something he enjoyed and he didn't care if it led to cycle after cycle of hatred and bloodshed.

* * *

 

Night fell quickly and silently as Dipper's daily routine had ended and Bill's reign began once again. At this point, he welcomed the harsh blow to his ribs when he teleported, because he knew what came next. They landed on a softened patch of dirt, Bill hovering gently onto Dipper's shoulder. Inspecting the two story house quickly, he eyed Bill and asked, "Does this one live alone?"

  
"Nope! He's got a wife. Though they aren't really on good terms right now, so he's probably sleeping on a couch downstairs."

  
"Ooh, a two-for-one deal! Also, how do you know that?"

  
Bill leaned back against Dipper's head. "I've been keeping an eye on these two for a few days. Something about taxes or whatever. I didn't really listen; fights like those are pretty common and very repetitive."

  
Dipper glanced towards the house again, using his free shoulder to shrug.

  
"So, I do get to take out both of them, right?"

  
"Only if you feel like it, Pine Tree."

  
He gripped his knife tightly and made a quiet dash towards a drainpipe leading up to a window. He had gotten quite skilled at that over the months and could now scurry up one without making a sound. He gripped onto the pipe with his legs, cupping his hands to the window and peering into the dark bedroom. A curved body lay motionless upon the comfort of pillows, and the only thing moving was the rise and fall of her chest.

  
Feeling that the window was locked and closed, he grabbed a small crowbar from his backpack and wedged it in, lifting it slowly and noiselessly.

  
Once he was inside, he walked over to the woman's bedside. He was embarrassed to find that she was sleeping mostly in the nude, save for a pair of lace panties. He looked away, but was tempted to glance back a few times. Shaking his head to regain his composure, he reached into his pack to search for duct tape and a small wooden plank.

  
He hustled on top of her, which caused her to flutter her eyes and sleepily yawn. Apparently, in her half-asleep state, she assumed Dipper was her husband and reached over to grab his hips and curl her fingers around them.

  
Dipper let out a barely audible sound of surprise and looked over at Bill, pointing at her hands with a worried and bothered expression. Bill simply watched the scene unfold in amusement.

  
He let out a deep breath and carefully placed a piece of tape over the mouth of the woman, who had fallen asleep again. He picked up the plank and bashed her head, causing her arms and hands to release and fall to the mattress. Dipper sighed a breath of relief and waved both hands towards his heated face. He stared down at the woman's chest for a few moments before turning towards Bill with a confused expression.

  
"Bill," he whispered, "What do I do? I don't wanna..."

  
Bill chuckled quietly and replied, "She's gonna be dead soon, kid. If it's that awkward for you, I can get you started."

  
Dipper quickly shook his head and turned back to look at the unconscious woman. He slapped both sides of his face simultaneously, attempting to bring back common sense. He reached over for his knife and held it to her throat, inciting a deep wound into her neck as the streams of blood trickled down to the pillow. He followed the knife down to the end of her solar plexus, watching as she profusely bled onto the bed, causing a rather large pool to sum up.

  
Jamming his hand into the very large, open wound, he dug around among muscles and bones and other organs until he felt the pumping heart he had been searching for.

  
Dipper had a rather strange affinity for people's hearts, as if it contained something he wished he could have. Often times it was the first organ he went for. He loved the feeling of it in his hands as it slowly paused and stopped beating. He would cut it open and examine it, expecting something he needed to be there but never finding anything. Then it would just feel... empty.

  
This woman's heart was no different. Nothing was there worth his time.

  
Soon he got bored of playing around with the formerly-beating organ and figured it was time to make his way to the living room.

  
"Hey, they don't have any pets or anything, right? No dogs?"

  
Bill exclaimed, "Nope, none of them. They have a few fish, though."

  
Dipper wiped a hand across his brow and made a somewhat-fake "phew" sound.

  
"Not a fan of dogs, kid?"

  
"Never really have been. My cousin on my mom's side had this rottweiler that was huge when I was little. It used to scare the shit out of me and I swear it almost bit me once."

  
Bill shrugged, "Well, there's none of them here. Fortunately we don't go on a lot of nightly runs to people with dogs. If there are any, I'll be glad to take the night."

  
Dipper nodded his gratitude to Bill and continued on down the pitch black stairway. He fumbled around at the bottom of the stairs, grasping around for a wall to follow. He didn't have to walk very far before spotting a couch with a sound-asleep, snoring man resting on top, his features barely visible in the moonlight that crept around the house.

  
The man was only slightly bigger than Dipper. They were very close in terms of body type- stocky and of a tall-medium height. Dipper seemed a bit more lanky than him, but other than that there was barely a difference. His tan skin seemed soft in the cradle of moonlight, a bunch of freckles dotting his face. His strawberry-blonde hair was short and slightly unkempt, but it was one of those messy-looks that suited the person it belonged to.

  
Dipper studied his face and body intently, whispering to Bill, "Why would she make him sleep on the couch? He'd so be welcome in my be-"

  
Dipper stopped himself mid-sentence. He was letting himself get caught up in personal desires and that wasn't something he could think about right now.

  
Bill giggled at Dipper's remark, causing him to turn away disconcertingly.

  
"Pine Tree, I've got an idea. Throw your hand over that guy's mouth and jab at his side- not his heart- enough to make him bleed out."

  
Dipper eyed the demon suspiciously, but followed his orders and in a moment was on top of the struggling man. He thrust the knife's blade into the man's side, and soon he stopped moving altogether. Bill hopped over and grabbed onto the man's forehead quickly.

  
Bill's triangular body vanished and Dipper jumped back in alarm and concern. The man's bright blue eyes shot open and the body sat up, grabbing at his own throat as if he was adjusting it.

  
None other than Bill's own voice came out of the man's mouth and Dipper simply sat in awe.

  
"Heya, kid! Look what I got!"

  
Bill's arms outstretched and a jubilant expression crossed the once-dead body's face. He glanced down at the fountain of blood leaking from his side and covered his hand over the wound. A faint glow emitted from his side and within a second, he pulled his hand away and the blood had stopped, leaving nothing but a strange-looking scar.

  
Dipper looked on in astonishment. He stuttered and searched for words to say, but Bill's index finger had already been placed over his lips as he slid over on top of Dipper, whose heart was pounding and his face was flushed. The demon shot a devilish grin at him, bending his arms to lean closer into Dipper's face.

  
"What do you think?" Bill asked.

  
"I-I, well... I mean..." Dipper looked away awkwardly and twiddled his fingers, "I-It suits you. The body, I mean. The look suits you."

  
"Does it now?"

  
Dipper nodded vigorously. Bill took hold of his chin, lifting it up slightly and pushing his face closer so that their foreheads were touching.

  
"You're okay with this?"

  
Dipper glanced up into his eyes, giving him a quick, small nod. Suddenly, he felt Bill's lips crash against his own. It had caught him off guard, but what surprised him even more was the fact that Bill's kiss was so... gentle. If he'd have imagined the scenario in his own time, he wouldn't have guessed that to be the case.

  
Dipper's arms instinctively reached up to wrap around Bill and pull him closer. A few moments passed and their kiss became even more intense, and Dipper was forced to pull away to catch his breath.

  
He stared at Bill's gentle eyes. The warmth had spread from his face to his toes and fingertips. It almost made him want to burst with joy. Their foreheads joined together again and Dipper rolled Bill over on his side, so that they were both lying down on the couch, wrapped in each other's pleasant embrace.

  
"Is this what you were thanking me for back at the secret place?"

  
Bill nodded, grinning happily. He felt joyful that he could even share a smile with his Pine Tree. He cupped a bloody hand to Dipper's face, and Dipper reached for it, closing his eyes and nuzzling into it.

  
Bill's hand slipped away from Dipper's cheek and reached for a button on Dipper's shirt, slipping it out of place.

  
Dipper's eyes shot open at the sudden change of pace, looking down, he started to stutter once more. Bill pulled his hand away as if he had touched a boiling pot.

  
"Not ready for that, I'm guessing."

  
Dipper nodded slowly, looking up towards the demon sheepishly.

  
"I'm not entirely sure I'll ever be up for that, I mean... I'm not sure I like things like that, y'know?"

  
Bill shook his head, holding up a hand in apology.

  
"Fair enough. This is good enough for us."

  
Dipper nodded rapidly and pecked at Bill's lip once more, breathing contently. Bill glanced towards the clock and closed his eyes, sighing.

  
"It's almost midnight, you know. If we don't get back before then, Shooting Star's gonna lecture you to the ends of the earth."

  
"But, your body-"

  
Bill smirked and interrupted, "I've got a safe place I can store it away, Pine Tree. Suspended animation is a thing of the future. This isn't the last you'll see of this face, I promise."

  
Dipper reluctantly let go of him. Fortunately, Bill, though in a somewhat weaker form, still had the power to teleport. Snapping his fingers, the blood vanished from their clothes. Dipper held a hand up to shield his eyes from the bright glow as Bill's body vanished and his old form took it's place.

  
Dipper grinned at Bill as they teleported out of the house and back into the dusty attic. He had a lot of questions for the demon, but he could save them for another time. He kicked off his shoes and clothes, throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He climbed into his bed and wished good night to a sleeping Mabel across the way.

  
"Sweet dreams, Dipper," Bill said.

  
Dipper sleepily muttered, "I love you, Bill."

  
Dipper felt complete.


	15. Pine Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more fluff and gore before the big event; you know it's coming!
> 
> ALSO: I drew a little concept of Bill! http://i.imgur.com/1gbI0LX.jpg

"So, how is it that you were able to possess his body without making a deal?"

  
Dipper sat on the floor of the attic, his knees pulled up to his chest as he inspected Bill's human body in front of him. He reached over and felt the softness of his hair as he looked into his piercing, ocean blue eyes.

  
Bill pulled up the side of his shirt, revealing the strange scar and pointing to it.

  
"Here's the thing about me possessing bodies; once they're dead, I have no obligation to make a deal with them. However, if the damage is too fatal, there's no chance I'd be able to take the body for myself. I prefer taking the bodies of those who die alone, or else it would make for a very... awkward situation."

  
Dipper nodded, affirming that he understood. He asked the question absent-mindedly and zoned out while Bill answered. He was too engrossed with examining Bill's vessel.

  
The natural strawberry color of his hair was a lot more vibrant in the sunlight, and the freckles that covered his face seemed to glow. His smile was wide and bright, and the skin of his face was smooth and warm to the touch. Dipper wasted no time in looking at all of his facial features; his deep-set eyes, his small nose, even his slender neck. On his left ear he had a set of small-sized black hoops at the top.

  
Dipper leaned into his shoulder, closing his eyes and basking in the comfort that was Bill. This caught Bill off-guard, but he held a hand up to pat the back of Dipper's head, leaning softly against him.

  
"I'm still a little tired, y'know. I guess I woke up too early today," Dipper told him.

  
"Understandable. Yesterday was a bit hectic."

  
Dipper nodded into his neck, groaning slightly at the thought of having to do more work that day; he liked doing what he did, but sometimes he just wasn't up to it.

  
Bill perked up. "Hey, let's go to the secret place. It's relaxing and you always like going there."

  
"Only if I can sleep..." Dipper spoke, dragging out the last word.

  
"Can't guarantee you will with me around."

  
Dipper chuckled slightly at Bill's remark. Neither Stan nor Mabel knew of Bill's situation- though Stan knew nothing about Dipper and him making a deal- so they had to sneak out of the window of the attic. Dipper lifted the window open, peering out into the yard for any sign of Stan. It was a Saturday, so Dipper assumed he had probably been sleeping in or watching T.V. or something, as he usually did.

  
Clambering out, he grabbed hold of the small ledge of the roof with both hands, swinging his leg up and over the top and pulling himself up. He assisted Bill in doing so as well and took off for the nearest drain pipe, sliding down it quickly and making sure they wouldn't be seen through the windows.

  
They sneaked out to the edge of the property, keeping a watchful eye until the reached the forest. Bill hurried ahead, grabbing Dipper's hand and giving it a playful tug to get him moving. Soon enough, they were flying through the woods, jumping from rock to rock and over fallen trees and under branches and bushes. They reached the secret place quite fast at that speed, and they both stood at the entrance, huffing and panting.

  
Bill rushed inside, jumping around and then falling on his back to the soft earth. Lying among the tiny azure flowers and the verdant blades of grass, he smiled genuinely and let the atmosphere drown him with peaceful vibes.

  
Dipper hurried over and reclined next to him. He would have slept right then and there if he wasn't so absorbed in Bill's beauty.

  
"You look better in my clothes than I do," Dipper said.

  
"Debatable," Bill answered as he shrugged. He turned on his side to face Dipper, pulling gently at his dark, amber hair.

  
Dipper smiled ardently at him. He snapped to alertness when Bill gasped. Turning to look at him, his facial expression screamed, "What? What's wrong?"

  
Bill shook his head. "No, no. Smile again."

  
Dipper gave him his most convincing smile and Bill held a hand over his mouth.

  
"Aww, Pine Tree! I never noticed. You have the most adorable dimple."

  
Dipper's convincing smile quickly turned into an embarrassed one as he looked away and blushed lightly. He held a hand over his left cheek, feeling the small dent. He quickly turned back to Bill and wobbled closer to him, his body curling up as he touched his forehead to Bill's chest, sighing deeply at the perfectness of the moment.

  
"You really do like this place, don't you? I've never seen you this happy," Bill told him.

  
Dipper picked his head up to look at the demon in the eyes.

  
"Yeah, when I'm here with someone I care about. Like you, or Mabel-"

  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Bill interrupted, "You brought Shooting Star here?"

  
"Well yeah, but..."

  
Bill suddenly looked both hurt and bitter. Bill glared at him, his cobalt eyes stilled as his expression made him seem offended. Dipper glanced away from his eyes nervously.

  
"Pine Tree, this was supposed to be a special place for you and me. I didn't want you to share it."

  
Dipper fumbled around for an explanation. "She was just... feeling really hurt, alright? I wanted to make it up to her, so I brought her here."

  
Bill shook his head. He didn't accept it. "Kid, I entrusted you with this. I don't want you to share this place with anyone, even Shooting Star. It's for me and you. I'm not sharing."

  
Dipper looked away dejectedly, saying softly, "Alright. Sorry, Bill. I promise I won't bring her here anymore."

  
Bill stared at him, feeling a twinge of regret for being so harsh. Looking around the large stump area, he caught a glimpse of the pond and motioned over to it.

  
"Cheer up, Pine Tree. Let's go sit over there."

  
Dipper's attention snapped over to the small pond as Bill got up and strolled over to the sparkling water. Dipper followed suit and hurried over to catch up to Bill.

  
They sat down on the edge, taking off their shoes and dipping their feet into the water. Within a minute, Dipper felt a few fish nibbling at his heels and toes, and he curled his feet instinctively and chuckled at the tickling sensation. This caught Bill's attention and he nudged Dipper with his elbow.

  
"Why aren't they biting at me?"

  
Dipper shrugged between giggles. "Maybe they can smell that your body already died."

  
Bill hummed in annoyance, crossing his arms and huffing gently. He couldn't stay upset for long, though, and soon grinned at the cute sight of Dipper laughing and smiling.

  
"Oh, right. I've been meaning to ask, where _do_ you keep your body when you're not using it? What place would have suspended animation that you have access to?"

  
Bill knocked on Dipper's forhead, earning a small "ow" from him. He spoke up, "You don't remember that shape-shifting enemy you met a few summers back, then? Remember where you put him?"

  
Dipper looked up, alarmed. "You mean you let him out??"

  
Bill laughed at Dipper's sudden panic. "Sort of! I sent him waaaay out into space. No doubt he's suffocated and dead by now, anyway."

  
Dipper let out a sigh of relief. That thing was always super ugly and disgusting to him, besides being a huge pain in the ass to fight. As he looked around the secret place, he realized it had become notably darker outside. Pulling out his phone, he checked the time; nearly time for them to go do some work.

  
"Looks like it's that time, Bill."

  
Bill beamed maliciously. He stood up and held out his hand for Dipper to take.

  
"Shall we?"

* * *

 

The breaking in process was rather easy now with two people. Within no time they were already strangling their target, an older man who appeared to be in his late thirties. Dipper sat on top of the dead body, excited to see what Bill had in store. The demon whistled a low sounding whistle and suddenly a metal box appeared out of thin air. Opening the box, he found many different utensils; knives, scalpels, you name it. 

Bill picked up two scalpels and smirked jubilantly. "Dissection, kid! It'll be like your high school science class all over again, but on a bigger scale and with a better partner."

  
Dipper huffed a laugh and reached over to grab a normal-sized knife.

  
"First things first, my favorite part." He quickly jabbed the weapon into the man's chest, reaching through the blood vessels and ribs to find the heart, beating faintly. He listened closely as the beating soon stopped. He looked disappointed; he always hated hearing it stop.

  
Bill rushed over and zapped a small lightning-like bolt at the heart, causing it to start pumping again, even if only for a few seconds. He lifted a bloody hand and patted Dipper's head.

  
"Anything for my Pine Tree!" He replied.

  
Next was Bill's personal favorite; dismemberment. They each claimed a pair of limbs and hacked away, blood splattering across their faces as they glanced at each other in amusement.

  
"Hey Dipper! What do you call a being with three arms and three legs?"

  
Dipper shrugged and replied, "I dunno, what?"

  
Bill grabbed the arm and leg he had just cut off and held them up. He answered, "A very satisfied Bill Cipher," and burst out in laughter. The corniness of the joke simply made Dipper roll his eyes, even if he was secretly smiling.

  
Once they had finished that, Bill moved onto the rest of the body, taking out all sorts of organs and talking about how easy it was for a demon like him to live without them. He gave little tidbits of funfacts about some of them. Eventually he moved onto the brain, pointing out the different functions of certain parts; where the vision was, the memory, the feelings, and so on.

  
The two sat together drenched in the blood of the man, satisfied with their work. Dipper leaned his head onto Bill's shoulder. This life was extreme bliss for him. Everything he loved had fallen into place for him to enjoy.

  
Closing his tired eyes, he hummed a short tune. He didn't know where it came from, but he remembered hearing it a long, long time ago when he was little, and especially as he was falling asleep; when he was young, every night he heard that tune, he remembered having pleasant dreams.

  
Bill listened closely, memorizing the main part of the tune rather quickly and humming it with Dipper. Soon Bill was the only one humming; he turned to face Dipper, the melody fading and stopping as he noticed that his Pine Tree had fallen asleep. He smiled at the sight of it and swooped down to pick him up. Whistling a low tune again, the blood dissolved from their clothes and they were back in Dipper's room before long.

  
Bill placed him on the bed, throwing the covers over him and being careful not to make the floors creak, which would have woken up Mabel on the other side of the room. Crouching down, he moved the hair out of the way of his forehead and kissed the constellation birthmark, cupping Dipper's face and leaning over to kiss his lips gently.

  
He whispered, "Good night, Dipper. You have a big day tomorrow, you know."

  
Standing back up straight, he snapped his fingers and disappeared, smiling down at his slumbering Pine Tree.


	16. A Day to Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the chapter you've been waiting for! Dipper has been dreaming of this moment for months and months.

He stood in the emptiness, everything around him white and inviting. The comfort that was cradling him seemed familiar, and a fragrant scent reminded him of his mother. He felt as if he was in a safe place where no harm would dare touch him. He waved his arm around and it moved as if he were in warm waters. Turning around he noticed two figures not far off; a woman of medium height, and a man who was slightly taller. They walked towards him slowly and he watched, eyes widening when he realized who they were. When they reached him, the pulled him into a welcoming embrace. Then he heard their voices.

  
"Dipper."

  
At once, his eyes shot open to the sight of that red hair and those beautiful freckles. He moaned sleepily and sat up on his elbows.

  
"Morning, Bill," he greeted as he yawned. Rubbing his eyes, he turned to look at his calendar off to the right and became fully awake when he realized what day it was.

  
"That's right, Pine Tree! Today's the day," Bill said, grinning at him with eagerness.

  
Dipper rapidly jumped up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek and rushed out of bed, causing Bill to rub his cheek and blush slightly. He threw on a pair of grey shorts and searched around for a black t-shirt. Pulling it over his head, he grabbed a short-sleeved white hoodie and put that on as well.

  
Once he was dressed, he ran over to Bill and enthusiastically hugged him, lifting him from the floor a little. Dipper put him down, grabbing his knife and looking up with a gleam of determination in his eyes.

  
"Today's the day I avenge my parents."

* * *

They spent much of the morning going over clues, picking out possible places Dragonfly would turn up at. At last, they decided on a place not too far from New York City. Teleporting there was a breeze, but now they only had to wait for the sense of their presence to appear.

Dipper explored the small town to kill time, looking around shops and admiring the different candy stores and places that sold antique-looking items. Bill left his body behind today, giving the excuse that it would just give award them with a disadvantage. No point in both of them getting hurt if there was going to be such a brutal fight, especially since Bill had a form that granted him intangibility as well.

  
At around three in the afternoon, Bill perked up and warned Dipper to stop moving for a second.

  
"Duck into that alley," he directed, pointing ahead to a narrow path between two brick buildings. Dipper listened and stood leaning against the wall, waiting for further instructions.

  
"Here she comes."

  
Dipper lifted his head to spot her crossing the street, her eyes glaring coldly towards him. She walked closer and closer, finally stopping just before passing them. She whispered, "Abandoned warehouse, two blocks down. Be there by five," and continued walking.

  
Dipper started from his spot and stood back on the sidewalk, watching her as she strolled down the street. He would have chased right after her if Bill had not advised against it.

  
"The most we can do right now is get ready, Pine Tree. They likely just have some business to attend to."

  
Dipper was furious, but he let his rage subside as he took a deep breath. He turned the other way and started down the path, a livid fire still lit deeply in his heart. Bill sat calmly on his shoulder, eyeing the kid as they turned the corner and made their way to the warehouse.

* * *

 

Dipper held his phone in his hand, sitting on a set of rickety, dusty steps as he watched the clock strike five. Putting the phone away, he placed a wooden bat on the step behind him and reached for his knives, standing on the dirty floor of the broken building.

In front of him, the door creaked open and a light fell through. Dipper was clearly able to make out the silhouette of the girl. She wore a black pair of sneakers and her dark shorts reached down to her knees. She wore a white v-neck shirt and what appeared to be a black short-sleeved, button-down jacket over it. In her left hand was a butcher's knife, in the other hand a smaller, sharper blade. Her eyes glowed like blue fire and her skin was as pale as snow.

  
Dipper stared at her with every intent of a killer. Bill could feel his heart was racing and knew that he was being fueled solely on adrenaline and animosity.

  
The door behind her shut and she walked slowly and hesitantly towards Dipper, checking around her for traps. Bill floated behind Dipper, looking sharply at the girl's eyes and checking for any signs that Tad was with her. As if on cue, a purple square-shaped figure appeared floating next to her.

  
"Ah, Tad," Bill said with a twinge of annoyance in his voice.

  
The purple demon shot an unimpressed glance at Dipper before replying sarcastically, "Great to see you again."

  
"That's how it is, hm? No apologies or anything?" Bill asked. He waited for Tad to reply, but the other demon simply looked around the warehouse as if he were bored and trying to taunt Bill.

  
"Fair enough," Bill said bitterly, "Let's get started, then."

  
Bill took his place in Dipper's mind and Tad in Dragonfly's.

  
Dipper rushed towards Dragonfly, side-stepping at the last second before jabbing at her hip. She dodged out of the way easily and let out a smug smile. She closed her eyes for a only second and suddenly realized Dipper's presence had quickly gone from in front of her to directly behind her. Dipper managed to catch her ear with a swift kick, knocking her back but not knocking her down.

  
He landed on his feet, staring at her with the most intense look in his eyes. Pulling her hand into a fist, she cracked each finger and then headed straight for Dipper, appearing at his side and attempting to punch his jaw; however, his reflexes became quite fast since the last fight and he caught the fist, gripping it fiercely and causing her to grunt with pain.

  
As she backed off, Dipper saw this as his chance and quickly threw her an uppercut, his blade following behind and quickly slicing the right side of her face. This put her right eye out of action. She pulled herself together rather quickly, much to Dipper's surprise and made a rapid dash behind him, catching one of his feet and knocking him down. She spun around and threw the smaller knife at his shoulder, cutting it clean through. She stomped on his back with all of her weight, causing him to cry out in pain as he tried to regain his breath. He reached for the small knife, pulling it out quickly and turning himself over and getting back up before she was able to crush his lungs again.

  
She grabbed her butcher's knife and nearly struck him in the face, but he suddenly felt a force pull his arm up and block the attack with his own blade. When he realized it, he hopped back a few times, allowing both fighters to catch their breaths.

  
"Was that you, Bill?" Dipper thought.

  
"Yeah, yeah. Don't mention it kid. Tad's done it for her a few times now, too. Just keep fighting."

  
Dipper smiled and nodded, once more dashing towards Dragonfly as they found themselves caught in a flurry of knife attacks. They exchanged critical blows a few times, only to be blocked and saved by their respective demons.

  
"This won't work, Pine Tree. Look for another way to surprise them," Bill said.

  
Dipper observed his surroundings. Behind her and to the left a bit, there was what appeared to be a nearly-broken floorboard. If he could get her to step there...

  
He took a different approach and tried to get her from below, cutting at her ankle and causing her to take a few steps back. Dipper shifted the fight over to the left and she followed his side-step, but was too late to notice that he led her to a trap. Her foot was briefly entangled in the boards and Dipper took advantage of the opportunity. He flew over behind her, snatching the butcher's knife from her hand and skewering it deep into her back, causing her to scream bloody murder and fall to the floor as she frantically reached for the blade.

  
Dipper walked away from the scene for a moment or two to grab his bat. He returned and stomped down on her hand, watching her face twist in enragement and despair. He swung down on her arm a few times, a sickening crack sounding throughout the building each time he did. Once he was done with that one, he sat down on her back, out of the way of the knife. He grabbed her remaining arm, pulling it far behind her and pushing against her shoulder until he heard a pop. He took the knife from her back and sliced the back of her calves. Now she, bloody and bruised, was barely conscious and unable to use any of her limbs.

  
Dipper dragged her helpless body to a wall, letting her sit there as he paced around a few times. He walked up to her and crouched down, holding a knife to her throat.

  
"Now tell me..."

  
Dipper slid the blade across her neck a few times, a few slightly-bleeding slits appearing each time. He twirled the knife around and held it to her throat firmly once more.

  
"Why exactly did you find it necessary to kill my parents?"

  
Dragonfly knew it was the end for her now. She really didn't have anything else... Tad, even if he truly cared, couldn't do anything about it now.

  
"It started with... This rumor," she breathed out, "A demon or something. Named Tad Strange. Kids used to talk about him all the time; it was like the other tale, Bloody Mary or whatever. Say some words, do something to initiate it, and they'll appear, but Tad was real."

  
She closed her eyes and let her head fall back towards the wall.

  
"My parents died when my little brother was born. I was only ten at the time, and I couldn't do much for us. We had heard some terrible things about kids who went to orphanages and such, so I had to keep him away from that... But living like that, stealing and such, for so long was too hard, and we couldn't keep it up."

  
Dipper stared at her, obviously feeling no remorse for what was to come.

  
"So... One day, I was about fourteen. I had thought, 'It can't be so bad to be in debt to this guy. I've gotta be useful some way.' And called him up. For the last four or five years I've been doing as he wants me to do. Not that I enjoyed it all... I only did it for my brother, who was unlucky to have been born into such a world. I had no choice." She grinned at him and shot him an amused look. "Your parents were just another one on the list. Some helpless victims that would aid me in making some cash."

  
Dipper snarled at her, forcing the knife closer to her throat, cutting into it slightly. His hands were shaking and his eyes filled with such hostility and passion that the girl had never seen. She simply chuckled.

  
"Now I'm done. I doubt he could make it on his own, my frail brother. I'll meet him soon..."

  
"Not with where you're going," Dipper replied bitterly, "You'll never see your fucking family, I'm sure of it."

  
He took the blade from her throat, holding it up and preparing to strike.

  
"Burn in hell."

  
He embedded the knife into her skull. She stilled and everything around them fell silent. After a few moments, Tad's vicious yelling rang out.

  
"CIPHER! You better watch your back, you and your puppet will NOT walk away from this unharmed!"

  
The voice faded away and Bill simply chuckled.

  
"Looks like we already did."

  
Dipper sat there, looking at the dead, bloody body of the woman. He stared at her eyes, which had rolled back into her head. He wore a triumphant expression and didn't regret a single action that had been done, even after hearing Dragonfly's story. A breeze flew through the broken windows of the warehouse, throwing Dipper's bangs back to reveal his birthmark.

  
He reached over and grabbed another knife close-by, carving into her chest and reaching in to pull out her heart. Stripping the organ of its veins and bodily tethers, he looked towards Bill as if he expected something. Bill snapped a finger and the heart was beating once more, even if only for a few seconds; the remaining blood in it was forced out and Dipper cut into it gently. Opening it, he sighed deeply.

  
Nothing.

  
He threw the heart aside and picked up the weapons used during the fight, pulling out a rag and wiping each of them down before returning to his backpack and placing them all into the bag.

  
He grabbed his belongings and walked out of the building, not bothering to wipe off the blood splattered on his cheek. Bill could take care of that later. He turned back once more to look at the mess. Searching around, he found a gasoline can and returned to the structure, pouring it onto the ground. He pulled a lighter from his inventory, playing with it a few times before tossing it into the building; which, fortunately, was pretty far from other houses and homes.

  
Turning away from the burning warehouse, he smiled maliciously.

  
The deal was fulfilled; but that was not the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of an era of vengeance; but not the end of a story.


	17. Crimson Sky, Scarlet Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't as long as I wanted it to be originally, but hey. It's like 2 AM and I really wanted to finish! Sorry for any typos. I'm a sleepy kid and also my brother visited us today. Also I was drawing a ton.

It was almost seven in the evening when Bill and Dipper returned. Dipper stood at the door of the Shack, unsure of whether to go in or not, seeing as the wound on his shoulder was still open and bleeding. He peered through the window, looking around to see if Stan was there; fortunately, he wasn't. Dipper opened the door and rushed to his and Mabel's room. He slammed the door shut behind him, leaning against it and giving a sigh of relief.

  
Mabel looked up from her desk, where she had been drawing and listening to music with one ear bud in. She gasped at the sight of her twin brother being hurt and threw everything else aside, motioning towards the bathroom.

  
"Dip! You got hurt? Go in there and wait for me."

  
Dipper hadn't noticed her when he entered the room and jumped in surprised when she gasped, but he listened to her and made his way towards the bathroom. He took a seat on the toilet cover and waited patiently. Mabel came back in no time with an armful of first aid supplies.

  
"Do you even know how to use those?" Dipper said skeptically, interrupted by Mabel's sudden cold glare. He took that as a yes and threw off his jacket and shirt.

  
She took a rag and wet it with the water from the sink, placing it on his shoulder and instructing him to hold it and apply pressure. In a minute, Dipper saw her turn around with what looked like a sowing needle and thick thread. He mentally panicked but said nothing out of fear that she would rant off on him about how she knew what she was doing. Instead, she simply gave him a reassuring pat on the head.

  
"Don't worry 'bout it, bro-bro. I know my stuff!"

  
She removed the rag and started to stitch him up, trying to talk to him while doing so to keep his mind off the pain.

  
"Where'd you even get this hurt? It's a super deep wound," she asked.

  
Dipper sighed from exhaustion, though it was more of a joyful breath. "I finally took care of her, Mabel... Finally. Mom and Dad can rest easy now."

  
Mabel stopped and looked towards her brother with sorrow-filled eyes. She was torn between being ecstatic that the murderer of her parents was rid from the world and feeling crestfallen that her brother had become what he despised most.

  
"Does that mean you're... free from the deal?" She asked.

  
Dipper turned his head away and said nothing. Mabel finished closing the wound and angrily stomped away from him, grabbing an ace bandage and wrapping it around his shoulder area tightly.

  
"You're done. Get out," she told him, crossing her arms in animosity and giving him a dead glare.

  
Dipper hurried out of the bathroom like a kicked puppy, pausing to turn around and say "thank you", but deciding against it. He didn't want to say anything now that Mabel was upset with him. Instead, he rushed down the stairs, throwing on a jacket and rushing out of the Mystery Shack.

  
He soon arrived at the cliff that was over-looking most of Gravity Falls. Beneath it were broken train tracks, but there was no visible way for him to reach that part. He sat there and looked down on the small town dejectedly as dusk came and the sun began to set, a beautiful vibrant red and orange coating the sky.

  
He jumped in surprise at the feeling of a hand suddenly touching his shoulder lightly. Turning around, he clutched his chest, but relaxed at the sight of Bill's body.

  
"Almost fell off the cliff... Gee, thanks, Bill," Dipper said sarcastically.

  
"Don't get your panties in a twist, Pine Tree. We still have some things to talk about, anyway."

  
He nodded at the demon, watching him as he moved over to take a seat next to Dipper.

  
"About the deal. Officially speaking, it ended; but I get the sneaking suspicion you don't really want it to end, kid."

  
Dipper replied, "Right... I have reasons. The first one is, obviously, because I love you. Second of all, I like... I enjoy doing what I'm doing. Lastly, because Tad Strange is still out to get me and you. If that's the case, it's really a smart idea just to stick together."

  
Bill nodded, his hair glowing a deeper shade of scarlet in the already crimson-colored sky. He reached over to steal a quick kiss from Dipper for the first answer he gave, amused at watching the boy's cheeks grow rosy as he grinned a moronic smile.

  
"Of course," Bill agreed, "And if you have any questions to ask me, now's a good time."

  
Dipper put a hand to his chin and looked up, tilting his head slightly. After a few moments of thinking, he asked, "You said Tad had to apologize? What for?"

  
Bill shook his head. "Just... I had some plans in the past. The little shit decided to tamper with them, so I sent him packing and haven't seen him until now."

  
"Okay, and how about him? Is he vulnerable at all, or are we able to just, y'know, off him?"

  
"Technically speaking, we can't really 'off' him. About his weaknesses, I'm not really sure. Trapping him permanently in a vessel of some sort is damn near impossible."

  
Dipper kicked his dangling legs and looked down at his feet. "So, we have no idea what we're up against, do we?"

  
"We don't; and unlike him, we have a weakness right now."

  
Dipper stopped moving his feet and turned towards Bill with a look of bewilderment. "We do?"

  
"Yeah. It's you."

  
Dipper stared at Bill for a long time, his confused look not subsiding.

  
"You're a human that I like, Dipper. You're mortal. That could lead to many problems, kid."

  
Dipper turned away and rubbed his shoulder nervously. They had one huge, vulnerable spot that Tad could easily attack. Dipper was more of a liability than anything. Could he even do anything if he were to be attacked by Tad?

  
Bill rubbed his back reassuringly, sending a mess of happy shivers down Dipper's spine as he moved closer to the demon and leaned his head on Bill's shoulder.

  
"I'll protect you, my Pine Tree. I promise."

  
Bill took a finger to point Dipper's head up, catching him in a soft kiss and a warm embrace. They broke away from the kiss to breathe, Dipper slightly more out of breath as he gripped at his shoulder. Bill looked towards it with concern, standing up and holding out his hand to help pull Dipper up.

  
"Let's go for a little walk in the woods, kid. The air will do you good."

  
Dipper nodded as Bill wrapped an arm around his waist, being careful not to hurt his shoulder. Together they walked slowly through the trees and leaves, the smallest bits of light barely visible now. Noticing this, Bill held out his hand and a sudden glow emitted from the palm; a blue flame appeared as if from nowhere and illuminated the surrounding area, covering it in an cool cobalt light. It clashed with what was left of the red sky, but it felt calming nonetheless.

  
He and Dipper walked on in silence, admiring each other's company immensely. Their hands intertwined and Dipper felt like his heart was ready to burst with love. He could barely remember the last time he felt this way; it seemed so long ago and even felt like a clouded memory.

  
"Bill," he sang, "I'm really glad I made that deal."

  
The demon tossed a look to him, smiling appreciatively at the remark. "I'm glad you did, too, kid."

  
Dipper's eyes shut for extended periods of time now as he felt himself grow sleepy. His walk became sluggish and Bill noticed this.

  
"Yeesh, getting a little tired there, Pine Tree?"

  
Dipper nodded, moaning out a small, "mm-hmm," in response. He turned a little and strolled over to a tree, leaning back against it and slumping down to the ground, his eyes closed most of the time.

  
"We'd better get you back to your bed," the demon offered.

  
"No no, Mabel's really upset with me and I wanna..." Dipper trailed off as he felt himself nodding off to sleep. He quickly snapped back awake, finishing, "I wanna feel the warmth of your body."

  
Bill covered his blushing face. A sleepy Dipper was far too adorable. He held his hands up and started to respond.

  
"Alright, alright. I'll take you somewhere nice, just give me a minute."

  
Bill teleported the two to someplace Dipper vaguely remembered. His eyes opened wide in realization in a second.

  
"Is this... The bunker?"

  
"It sure is! I usually put my body in there," he pointed to a small frozen-looking chamber,"but since you really want to be with me tonight, I know of a little place."

  
He walked over to a blank wall, pressing a button on one of the machines as it slid back, revealing a cozy-looking bedroom on the other side. Bill grabbed Dipper from under his belt and lifted him up, helping him over to the large, king-sized bed and letting him fall onto the comfortable pillows.

  
Bill took off his outer clothes- still wearing ones borrowed from Dipper, in fact; he seemed to like the smell- and helped Dipper out into his own boxers. They took their places on the bed and huddled up against each other for warmth in the chilly air of the underground bunker.

  
Dipper laid on his side to face Bill, staring up drowsily at the demon. Bill looked down at him and allowed their foreheads to touch and their legs to tangle as they shared a few passionate kisses. Bill felt Dipper's gentle smile against his lips, a warm breath silently passing through his mouth. As they felt the comfortable pressing of their bodies against each other, Dipper began to hum the old lullaby. Bill remembered it quickly and picked it up, both humming quietly as Dipper slowly fell asleep.

  
Reaching a hand up, Bill pushed aside Dipper's bangs, his lips curling up to meet the starry birthmark of the sleeping boy.

  
Good night, Dipper," Bill whispered, "My Pine Tree. You'll always be safe with me."


	18. I Trust You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting this out tonight since I will be at a ballgame tomorrow with all my brothers and my dad. I was actually still hesitating on how to execute this whole sequence of events, so sorry if the dynamic seems rushed and shaky. Still, rather be early than late!

For the next two weeks, it was as if nothing had changed at all. The only difference was that Dipper was happier than before, and he took his job very seriously; he even started enjoying the nights more, looking forward to the bloodshed and his and Bill's cuddle session following it up.

  
Mabel wouldn't forgive Dipper for a few days, but as in the past, the twins always made up in the end. As much as it hurt them both to know, Mabel had become accustomed to Dipper's secrets and lies by now. Dipper had trouble looking his sister directly in the eyes anymore and Mabel had picked up a habit of glaring strongly at him whenever he did the smallest thing to upset her. If he had accidentally knocked over the salt while reaching for something, she would just stare at him, and he would simply turn away and pretend not to notice.

  
Stan seemed to realize this had become a problem. He knew Mabel wasn't one to hold grudges, and for her to be so easily upset with her own twin brother... Something in his gut told him not to confront it, and he reluctantly obliged.

  
Meanwhile, Bill had taken Dipper out one night for another killing. Somewhere in northern California, he said. It wasn't a very big house and it was easy to break into, but when they had arrived at the house...

  
Dipper climbed through an open window in the back of the house when his nose caught a familiar scent. It was a rusty metal sort of smell, and the only thing he could associate it with was bodies. Dead bodies.

  
It was blood. Dipper smelled blood.

  
He waved Bill over and took a deep breath in through his nose. He whispered, "Do you smell that?"

  
Bill did likewise, scrunching his nose as he identified the scent.

  
"Is... Is that blood?"

  
"It is."

  
Dipper tred carefully down the hall, peeking around the corner. He was very surprised and bewildered to see the warm cardinal liquid running down the shirt of a long-since dead man, flies buzzing around him and landing on him in a grotesque fashion.

  
Dipper turned towards Bill, his face completely pale and his jaw hung down. Bill looked as if he was concentrating on something, but immediately broke the expression once he saw Dipper turn. He peered past the wall and was almost as confused as Dipper was when he surveyed the scene.

  
Bill took a few steps closer to the man's body, inspecting the deep, bloody cavity left in his chest. If Bill was right, the man couldn't have died earlier than that morning.

  
What did this mean? Their target was already dead and his heart was missing. This could mean trouble for them, if it wasn't simply a coincidence. While Bill was looking over the body, Dipper glanced around. He tugged on Bill's sleeve for attention. The demon quickly faced him and they were both baffled by what they saw.

  
On the white wall behind them, written in blood, was the message, "You WILL pay." Below it they saw the heart of the man nailed to a wall.

  
"Bill..." Dipper said, his voice shaking.

  
"Pine Tree, I know."

  
"Could it be for someone else...? Someone who held a grudge against this guy?"

  
Bill sighed and stared at Dipper with a concerned face.

  
"Kid, let's get out of here. Something's really not right with this place, I can sense it."

  
They hurried out of the building and scrambled back into the forest. Just then a cop car pulled up in the driveway, lights flashing red and blue. Luckily, the two were already out of sight and on their way back to the Shack via teleportation.

  
They hurried to the attic to avoid being noticed by Stan; who, luckily, had fallen asleep watching a show.

  
"Bill, that was very unsettling. There's no way it couldn't have been Tad," Dipper said, pacing around the floor of the attic nervously.

  
"Pine Tree, calm down. You can sit. We're safe where we are right now, don't over-stress."

  
Dipper held up a finger and stammered, "But- but, I-"

  
"Sit," Bill commanded, patting his lap gently.

  
Dipper sighed and walked over to the demon, placing himself on his legs. Bill wrapped his arms around him, entangling his hands in Dipper's and resting his head on the boy's good shoulder.

  
"Pine Tree, I told you this already; I will protect you," he said, snuggling his nose into Dipper's neck, "To the ends of the earth, I swear I will."

  
Dipper relaxed into Bill's hold. "Right," he responded.

  
"It's late, kid. Go get some sleep and I'll be right with you tomorrow."

  
"Yeah, yeah. You don't have to tell me twice."

  
Dipper got up from his spot in Bill's lap and leaned down to share a quick kiss with the demon. He made his way over to the stairs and started to descend, only to look back at Bill with a stupidly happy grin on his face.

  
"You're hopeless, kid. Go sleep."

  
Dipper nodded and gave him a quick "Goodnight" before taking off to his room.

  
Once Dipper left, Bill sighed and turned to look out the window into the dark moonlight. It was a waxing crescent and was barely emitting any light, allowing the stars to twinkle brighter in the darkness of the sky.

  
"I'll try to protect you, kid. You know I want to; but still, we have no idea what we're facing. This could be big trouble, and... Oh, Pine Tree."

* * *

 

The next day, Dipper awoke refreshed and willing to greet the day. He put the bad thoughts in the back of his mind and waited patiently for Bill to show up. Since his end of the deal had been fulfilled, he had very little else to do other than hang out with Bill or stay inside and write or draw, sometimes helping Stan do house work.

  
Bill's human vessel appeared once again in front of Dipper, whose face lit up at the sight of it. Bill coaxed him to go to the secret place with him, to which Dipper didn't decline.

  
Most days, when they went to visit the secret stump, they would end up simply lying down in the grass together, talking about hypothetical situations or Bill's history with the generations of humans.

  
Dipper curled the demon's hair in his fingers, watching as the sun changed the colors from a dull maroon to a dynamic scarlet glow.

  
"You know, out of all the humans I met, you're the first one I've loved this deeply," Bill said.

  
"Have you loved other humans before, then?"

  
"Favored, yes. Loved? Not so much. Most humans consider it evil to fall in love with a demon, you know. You've got a deep connection with the paranormal, Pine Tree. It's rare to see in humans."

  
Dipper huffed a breath, briefly moving his bangs out of the way to reveal his birthmark."I've been like this for as long as I can remember. Paranormal things have always appealed to me. It's like going on adventures is in my blood, and it's something I can't do without. I-"

  
Bill's index finger caught on the collar of Dipper's shirt, tugging him closer as Bill interrupted his small speech with a long, passionate kiss.

  
Dipper leaned back into the grass in submission to Bill's sudden show of affection. Bill hovered over him as Dipper's legs wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer to the ground. Dipper pulled away, breathless and warm, his face the brightened color of a ruby gem.

  
"Bill, I know you want to protect me, but I need you to do something else instead. Promise you won't leave me. Please."

  
Bill's face twisted in worry and he glanced away. Sighing deeply, he looked back at Dipper with a convincing smile on his face.

  
"I won't."

  
Dipper grinned and held the demon closer, his hands grasping at the back of Bill's clothes as they spent a few moments in a tight embrace.

  
"Let's head back now, Pine Tree," Bill suggested.

  
"Right!"

  
They stood back up and Dipper rushed ahead eagerly, waiting patiently at the stump's entrance for Bill to catch up. Soon they were running and jumping through the woods, hurrying from rock to rock, dashing up paths and avoiding nature's obstacles. The Mystery Shack was in view for Dipper, who had gotten a head start. He came to a screeching halt when he saw not one, but two- maybe even three police cars all parked near the entrance of the house.

  
Dipper ducked behind a tree and motioned for Bill to stop and do the same. Bill made his way up to where Dipper was hiding and jumped behind a tree a few feet away from him.

  
Dipper stared at Bill with a petrified look plastered on his face as Bill pinned his back against the tree, looking alarmed and fearful.

  
Dipper whispered, "Shit! How the fuck did they... We didn't leave any clues, Bill! We always made sure!"

  
"Pine Tree, calm down! They might hear us. We didn't leave any clues, yeah, but that doesn't mean someone else didn't..."

  
Dipper whined softly, "You mean Tad, don't you? He's making the first move already??"

  
"Yeah," Bill said, "At that one place, where the man was already dead. The message and that eerie atmosphere... I should've worried about it sooner."

  
"Well, now what? We can't... We can't come back here, can we?" Dipper asked, looking almost heart-broken. Would this mean he wouldn't be able to see the only two family members he had left?

  
"Dipper, calm down. We need to get out of here, now! This can be talked about later!"

  
Dipper felt the surreal underwater feeling that told him he was being teleported somewhere. He opened his eyes and found himself in the bunker again. He held his head in both hands and slowly crumbled to the ground.

  
"Bill, what are we gonna do??"

  
"Dipper," Bill said seriously, "I'm protecting you now."

  
Bill pulled Dipper close and held him as he buried his face into the demon's chest.

  
"I know, I... I trust you, Bill."


	19. Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! New update. A little short, but next chapter should be longer. We're nearing the end, my friends, but I plan on a sequel.

Twelve days had passed since Dipper and Bill had gone underground. They didn't know much about the situation outside, but it became apparent to them that they wouldn't be able to stay in the same place forever. As comforting as the small bedroom on the side seemed, the air was cramped and musty and it was pretty cold at night.

  
Dipper longed to see his sister and his uncle again. It had only been a bit under two weeks, but it pained him greatly to think that he might not be able to see them again. At night, he would allow Bill to hold him and stroke his hair while he tried to calm down. To him, it seemed old feelings had returned; the same emotions he felt after his parents died. Fear, suffering, and depression.

  
Bill spent almost all time either comforting Dipper or proposing escape plans and where they might run away. Dipper was pretty averse to the idea of running very far away. This meant the same as abandoning his family and two of the only three people he loved and cared for anymore.

  
The thirteenth day rolled around and Dipper felt as if his anxiety was consuming him. He was sure there was no way out of this situation.

  
"Pine Tree," Bill spoke up, "I think it's time for us to go..."

  
Dipper whipped his head around to look at the demon, tears welled up in his eyes. His hands were shaking uncontrollably.

  
"Where are we gonna go...?"

  
Bill sighed. "I'll find a place; maybe an abandoned house of sorts. Plenty of those around. Plus, we do have to get food and stuff."

  
Dipper sat on the cold, metal floor, looking down towards the ground in thought and concern. He let out a breath and nodded towards Bill.

  
"We need hoodies or something to disguise our faces," Dipper said.

  
Bill perked up. "Already on it!"

  
He snapped his fingers and threads seemed to weave their way around the two, glowing a bright blue. Before Dipper could blink, he felt his sleeves grow longer as well as a beanie circling and closing in on his head, covering a good portion of his forehead and making it impossible to recognize him by his birthmark.

  
Bill simply had a hood thrown over his head and a light scarf folding over his mouth, his sleeves reaching up to his elbows. His eyes drooped slightly, as if that had taken a bit of energy out of him. Certain magic took a lot out of his body.

  
"Alright, let's go! I'll take you somewhere less populated," Bill said.

  
They teleported to a small town in western California. They had both hoped that news of "the Cheetah", as Dipper was still unfortunately called, hadn't reached this far. This seemed true, much to their luck. They quickly headed into a store and picked out some food essentials- "The food pyramid", Bill reminded him sarcastically- and paid with some cash Dipper had on him.

  
No one seemed to recognize them inside the store. When they were out, some pedestrians gave them strange glances because of their unusual get-up, in particular the way they were both more covered up than what would be expected on a warm summer day.

  
Ignoring the looks, they took off towards the main routes out of town, carrying their bags as they headed into the woods to avoid being spotted easily from the roads.

  
They walked and walked, their feet sore from all the dodging around they had to do to avoid being hit in the face by a branch or falling into a thorn bush. Apparently the next city was about two or three miles away, so they would simply stay on the outskirts of it and only enter it the next day if truly necessary.

  
They took a break about a mile and a half away to enjoy their small food bounty, which they had rationed to small amounts. They spotted a rather large tree which seemed pretty climbable with wide branches. If they could get up there, they might be able to spend the night on the wider parts. Bill scurried up rather easily, but Dipper took a bit more effort.

  
They settled together far up the tree on one of the most supporting branches. Day quickly passed into the night as the stars twinkled above the two, emitting only a faint glow. Dipper heard the snap of fingers as a pale blue light lit up around them, a small flame hovering in the air, stable and bright.

  
Together they leaned against the trunk of the tree, Dipper snuggling into Bill's hoodie comfortably.

  
"Bill," he said suddenly, "Do you really, honestly think we can get out of this?"

  
"To be brutally honest, kid..." Bills heart sunk as he softly spoke the word out. "No. No, I don't."

  
Dipper glanced up at the stars again, mentally connecting the dots that showed the constellation that was his namesake. His face had become sullen and serious, and he felt a flurry of emotions; dread was definitely one of them, but he also felt resentful, though he couldn't tell exactly who his bitterness was directed at.

  
"I don't think we can get through this, Pine Tree. I think Tad will fuck us over until he thinks we've had enough, and he knows we've already been through a lot these past few weeks. He... He's really angry, and he won't stop for anything."

  
Dipper closed his eyes as a few tears rolled down his cheeks softly. His family was as good as gone and he had to be prepared to die at any given moment. It caused him so much stress and he honestly felt like sometimes he didn't want to be there anymore.

  
The only thing holding him down now was Bill.

  
"You know, Dipper," Bill said, "I am going to keep you safe."

  
Dipper grasped at the clothing on his chest and sobbed into it quietly. Bill reached his arms down to the boy's waist, pulling him closer and rubbing his back reassuringly.

  
"I know, you've told me that; it's just..."

  
He looked up to Bill's face, his own twisted in grief.

  
"Stay with me."

  
"I'm gonna do my best, kid," Bill smiled smoothly and waved a hand over Dipper's eyes, "Get to sleep now. I'll wake you in the morning."

* * *

Dawn broke over the cloudy day, making it feel more like a stormy night as the clouds rolled in and the sun had barely risen. Bill shook Dipper awake and ushured him down the tree, complaining that it might rain. If that were the case, they may have to seek shelter in the city, which they desperately wanted to avoid.

The morning was covered in mist and a light drizzle fell down to the earth. They brought with them their food supplies and hurried into town as the clouds grew darker and darker. Looking around cautiously, they were relieved to find there were very few posters of them, and it seemed as though they were in obscure places like alleyways or hidden by other posters on telephone poles.

  
They made their way to a small cafe place named "Cathy's Coffee House" and hurried in right as the rain started to torrent down upon them. Dipper was surprised that some place would be up so early- then again, it was a coffee shop.

  
The lady behind the counter flashed a smile at them and Dipper offered to get them both something warm. Bill, of course, perked up at the thought of hot cocoa with whipped cream, and Dipper would settle with a french vanilla coffee. He gave her a few dollar bills as she handed him their drinks. The two took a booth seat by the window and took sips of the hot drinks, blowing on it to cool it a little.

  
After a few minutes of idle chat, Bill began to notice out of his peripheral vision that the counter lady was throwing them uneasy glances every few seconds.

  
Under his breath, he whispered, "We need to leave."

  
Dipper nodded slightly, grabbing his drink and starting to get out his seat. Bill was already halfway through the entrance door and he smiled politely at the counter woman to make him seem less... criminal-like. Once they were out of sight of the window, they began to sprint as Bill made a sharp turn, pulling him into an alley.

  
"Do you think she recognized us? I guess we didn't really think about the whole 'the T.V. reports this shit too' thing..."

  
"Probably," Bill shrugged, "I'm just glad there aren't any cops here right now."

  
Deciding it would be safer to take the back roads instead of the wide streets, they continued on. They probably would have to return to the hard-to-navigate woods.

  
Silently, they continued on into the empty alleyways, keeping their eyes peeled for trouble. They darted this way and that until they made it to an empty street across from the forest. However, Bill warned Dipper not to leave the alleyway yet, seeing as the street was abnormally quiet, even if it was still quite early in the morning.

  
"Something's not right..." Bill said.

  
"Don't say that, you'll jinx us! Whenever someone says that in movies, shit starts to get real."

  
"Shh, Pine Tree!"

  
Dipper whispered a quick apology and slammed his jaw shut. Bill proceeded with caution and motioned Dipper over to cross the street as well. The demon remained alert as Dipper began to enter the forest. He surveyed the street and started to follow the boy. Suddenly, he heard the revving of an engine not far away and saw two black cars come skirting around the corner, skidding to a stop across where the two were.

  
Bill immediately turned around and pushed Dipper further into the woods.

  
"Run!" he yelled.

  
And so they ran for their lives.


	20. End of the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the fic, but not the end of this adventure... Not yet! I plan on writing another fiction before starting the sequel to this, only because I really would like to improve my writing skills before tackling the beast of fanfic that will be the next part of this journey. Be on the look out, friends, this is NOT how things will end. Anyways, thank you so, so much for reading this!! It means a lot to me as a beginner writer!!<3

It had gotten dark and stormy and they had run for miles. Out of breath, they both took shelter in a small niche in the rocks. The rain pelted down on them in the woods. Bill could see the far away rapid movements of light every few seconds from flashlights, indicating that they were still being chased.

  
"Breath for a minute, Pine Tree," he said, "We'll continue once you can move again."

  
Dipper leaned back against the stones and exhaled heavily, grabbing at his chest as if it would help. A few seconds later he nodded towards Bill, gesturing that he was able to press on even if he could barely talk.

  
They rushed from their place and scurried away quickly into the fog and the downpour. In a short time they happened upon a broken-down house, obviously abandoned. A good portion of the roof was missing and the charred, blackened wood told them it was from a fire.

  
Together, they hurried up the steps of the house and into the open attic. As long as they stayed out of sight towards the middle of the attic, they were unlikely to be spotted by anyone from down below. Their persuers were definitely going to investigate this house, so they needed a place to hide. Bill pointed towards the fireplace and suggested that. They wormed their way up the tight space, their arms and bodies compacted by the crushing lack of space.

  
They stayed there for a few minutes, hearing soft footsteps rushing up the stairs and voices talking, asking if they had been "captured and secured elsewhere" to someone on a radio. After a while of the cops looking around, they made their way downstairs again. Dipper and Bill nervously waited until the echoes of their voices were inaudible. They dropped down from their hiding place, stretching a bit after being in such a cramped place.

  
"I'm just glad neither of us is claustrophobic," Dipper said, chuckling slightly.

  
"I've been trapped in things before. Like... ancient historical artifacts. It's not fun."

  
Dipper shrugged, rubbing his shoulder as he winced slightly at the feeling of it being strained. It was making a nice recovery, but it still hurt sometimes if he put too much pressure on it.

  
Peeking around the edge of the attic wall to observe the ground, Dipper waited patiently for any sign that they were in danger. He sensed nothing and assumed they were safe. "I think we're good," he whispered, slumping against the wall and falling to the floor, a bit of wind throwing his bangs up.

  
Bill stopped moving and tensed up immediately after Dipper spoke. The demon looked alarmed and this made Dipper worry. Bill whipped around, facing all different directions as he passed glances at everything, as if he was searching for something. He backed up and hovered a hand over Dipper to protect him.

  
"What? What is it?"

  
"Shh, kid... I can feel him here."

  
Dipper gulped and asked, "Wh-who?"

  
Bill shot a look at him quickly and his eyes started to dart around again. "You know who."

  
Suddenly, a bright violet light appeared, causing both of them to shield their eyes. The purple demon appeared in front of them looking casual, but they both knew he was enraged. He was much more intimidating than before, even if it was only because they knew he was capable of so many terrible things at the moment and that he was out for their heads.

  
"Cipher. Pine Tree," he spat out bitterly, "Wonderful for us to meet once again."

  
Bill let out a low growl as his stance changed from being defensive to a viciously more offensive one. The floorboards creaked under his feet as his weight shifted significantly.

  
"Don't give me that fake courteous bullshit," Bill said.

  
"Right, right. How can I be so kind after you murdered my only friend?"

  
Dipper seemed surprised at the thought of Tad and Dragonfly having been friends. Though he knew demons could feel, as was the case with Bill, he only saw Tad as one thing; a bloodthirsty, evil demon capable of no emotion. Although he couldn't give a shit about how he felt, Dipper still feared him.

  
"Let's play a little game, hm?" Tad's voice hummed. He reached out a hand to touch Dipper's forehead, but Bill quickly grabbed the boy's hand and dashed to the other side of the room in the blink of an eye. He stood defensively between Dipper and the other demon, snarling possessively.

  
"We can't have this, Cipher," Tad said, tapping the handle of his small umbrella as a set of three blue rings appeared around Bill's body. The purple demon lifted his index finger and Bill slowly levitated into the air. A quick jolt of his pointer finger made him fly across the room and slam against what was left of a brick wall.

  
"You're actually quite vulnerable in this state, you know? Leaving it alone for a minute would cause the body's organs to start failing, and you don't want to lose it, do you?"

  
"You touch Pine Tree and you'll regret it," Bill replied angrily.

  
"Is that a promise?" Tad said sarcastically as he reached a hand out again towards Dipper's forehead.

  
"If you dare fucking touch him," Bill cursed, "I swear, you'll-"

  
Everything around Dipper began to fade. Bill's voice was cut off and the attic he was surrounded in melted away into a milky white nothingness. It seemed peaceful, but only for a second. The white quickly changed to a threatening black color and he felt something under his feet. Looking down, he was on a ground he couldnt see. He walked ahead, keeping an eye out for anything moving. Suddenly, a brown door caught his eye off in the distance. He took off towards it and threw it open.

  
He was taken aback to find himself in his home- his old home in California. Everything was there as he remembered it. He strolled into the kitchen to see his father standing there, buttering toast. His mother sat at the small table, a celebrity magazine clutched in her hand. Dipper's eyes widened and he felt his heart sink. Was he really here?

  
No. He felt a breeze from somewhere, an unpleasant breeze. There was no smell and he couldn't hear anything other than the loud ringing in his ears, even when the people he believed to be his parents turned to smile at him. All he could do was see and feel.

  
"Where am I?" he asked.

  
Immediately everything changed. The comforting feeling of those old mornings he used to share with his parents vanished, and the light that was in their kitchen became a flickering, creepy light. Dipper got a very bad feeling and rushed upstairs in an attempt to reach their bedroom. At the end of the hall he saw not only Mabel but himself standing there, peering into the master bedroom.

  
He felt a sudden force pushing him towards the door- no, more like it was pulling him. He tried to back away, but it had so much energy and continued to pull him closer and closer. Once he was in range, he felt as if he were being pushed towards a fireplace. It started to cause a burning, searing sensation.

  
The power pushed Dipper so that his hand was met with a force field once he came in contact with his duplicate's body. It felt as if someone was throwing him into a fire. He broke through the field, his own body soon assuming the place of his other self.

  
He opened his eyes and for a split second saw the gruesome scene that was his dead parents, and at once everything around him vanished except for their bloody image. Suddenly, he felt something in his chest burst out. He looked down and saw a blood-ridden hand going through his chest, holding a heart- his heart. He screamed in anguish and pain as he witnessed and felt this. He turned his head to catch a glimpse at whose hand it was, but only saw those blue, demonic eyes that belonged to one girl only- Dragonfly.

  
He awoke back in the attic, his knees on the floor and his head in his hands. He still felt the heart-break and was stunned, traumatized by the horrible memory he had just relived.

  
"Back with us, 'Pine Tree'?" Tad spoke, looking delighted. Dipper said nothing as he was still horror-stricken.

  
"Did that feel like torture? Good," Tad laughed, "I deliberately made you relive your own personal nightmare!"

  
Dipper's hands fell to his sides and he stared up at the water-soaked, dark gray clouds.

  
"Now let's have a bit more fun, hm? That yell you let out surely attracted the attention of some cops. Cipher's not going to help you on this one."

  
Tad floated towards Bill's human vessel, which had still looked heated even if his mouth was covered by a blue ring to keep him quiet as the demons watched Dipper's pain unfold. His square form disappeared and the rings that were containing Bill's body vanished. The body fell to the ground. The demons fought over control of the tool, its limbs twisting in different ways as it attempted to stay alive despite being possessed by the two at the same time. It's eyes flashed from purple to gold and it continued this way for a while, saying things in different pitches as they both struggled.

  
Dipper could hear footsteps approaching the house and voices ringing out from below. The vessel slowly took steps towards him, stumbling slightly.

  
Suddenly the door burst open and two men holding guns appeared, taking aim at Dipper and the demons.

  
"Freeze! One false move and we'll shoot!"

  
The vessel dashed towards the side and started to jump. The cops took aim at Dipper.

  
Dipper heard the cocking of pistols and the loud bangs of bullets as he felt the sickening pain of two metal bullets pelt his chest.

  
The last thing he heard and saw was Bill's voice yelling, "Dipper, NO!" and his triangular body reappearing in front of him one last time before everything faded to black.

* * *

  
Stan stood in the hospital room speaking with the nurse. Mabel had been crying her eyes out for hours and hours. Everything else was drowned out except for the conversation Stan was having with the nurse.

  
"Is he going to wake up?" Stan asked quietly, hoping Mabel couldn't hear; but she had the ears of a bat and was easily able to eavesdrop.

  
"Honestly, sir, it's amazing he's alive. He was shot clean through the chest twice; one of them straight through his heart. I'm sorry to inform you there may be a chance he never wakes up... But for him to be alive is a miracle, and I wouldn't doubt for a second if there was magic involved."

  
"What are the chances he does wake up?"

  
"Very slim... All we can ask for now is another miracle."

  
The tears rolled down Mabel's cheeks as she listened in. Dipper was as good as dead if they were asking for another miracle. She didn't care; all she wanted right now was her twin back. But she couldn't have him.

  
It pained her to think it. He was in a coma, but...

  
Dipper Pines was as good as dead.


End file.
